Eyes of a Killer
by Velace
Summary: AU: Emma Swan is a Warrior, a skilled Marksman of renown - at least she would be, if she weren't a woman. In the Enchanted Forest, men hold all the power while women are nothing more than bottomless pits of emotions and irrational thought, blinded by delusions of True Love and Happy Ever Afters - or so we are told to believe.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: **This is a Dark!Emma fic, so you may notice a significant difference from canon. Namely, Snow and Charming aren't her parents, she's never been to our world and Henry doesn't exist. If any of those put you off the story then - I'm sure I'll live.

**Trigger Warnings: **For mentions of abuse, torture, rape and.. if you're queasy about death then - that too.

**Disclaimer: **_Insert nonsense about ownership here, as well as some sarcastic definition of Fan Fiction._

* * *

Emma wrenches her blade free from the fallen bandit at the same moment she spins and plunges it into another, grinning as she watches his snarl turn to a grimace when the bloodied steel easily penetrates his chest. As his blood spills to mark the soil beneath him, the light in his eyes dims and eventually fades to leave behind nothing but his lifeless corpse.

From the corner of her eye, the blur of the last man fleeing gains her attention and she leaves her sword within its latest victim. In one fluid movement, she pulls the bow from around her shoulders, nocks an arrow and takes aim. She breathes deeply and holds it briefly before releasing the arrow on exhale and giving chase as it sails through the trees toward her target. When his cry sounds from a few feet in front of her, she smiles and picks up her pace.

It didn't take her long to find their encampment, as it had been poorly hidden within a copse of trees and wasn't too far from the road. Emma spends most of her time spilling the blood of men like these, men who take pleasure in robbing those too weak to defend themselves and already too poor to be forced to raise the bastard offspring of bandits.

The King takes no notice of the happenings of his land when they don't affect him directly. Why should he care that women are sexually assaulted upon leaving his Kingdom when those children will eventually grow – assuming they don't die from starvation or sickness. As teenagers, they'll become apprentices to a trade and eventually, they'll contribute to his wealth by paying his exorbitant taxes. Someone had to do something and if she couldn't use her skills to fight wars because some outdated law said women weren't capable of being fighters, then she was more than happy to put them to use in ridding the forest of these filth.

When she comes upon the man with the arrow embedded in his throat, she takes a knee beside him and yanks it free before cleaning it with his shirt as he chokes on his own blood. Returning it to her quiver and with the extermination complete, she backtracks to retrieve her sword before she heads toward the nearest stream.

It's one she's used often in the past, sometimes to remove the copious amounts of blood from her clothing. Most of the time she uses arrows to avoid this kind of mess but when there are fewer men, she prefers the cold, hard steel of her blade - there was something about the warm splash of someone's life force decorating her skin that got her blood pumping.

She wasn't expecting the scream that accompanied her entrance into the clearing, but she understood it considering she's covered almost entirely with gore. It wasn't often that someone else would be here, not at this time of day. But now that the blood was drying, Emma was starting to feel tainted and she was desperate to be clean once more. So with no more than the quirk of an eyebrow, she strolls past the woman who seems to be frozen with shock and kneels before the stream, setting her weapons down and peeling the shirt from her body to use as a makeshift cloth.

She can hear the rustling behind her as she bathes and she manages to ignore it for a while but as the time passes, she begins to wonder why the woman hasn't left yet. It wasn't until she began removing her boots that the woman finally speaks.

"What are you doing?"

Emma smirks and strips the rest of her clothes as she replies. "Bathing."

"I can see that." Regina feels her face flush with heat and quickly averts her gaze to avoid staring at the backside of the now fully nude woman. "Do you know who I am?"

She doesn't but by the self-important tone of authority, Emma thinks she's probably some minor noble with a superiority complex. "How can I? You haven't introduced yourself."

"I am your Queen."

Not so minor after all, Emma thinks as she pauses in her ministrations. She didn't have a Queen _or _a King, at least none she had sworn fealty to and the claim only angered her. Despite this, she knows if the woman truly is the Queen, then to refute it could easily end with her being thrown in a dungeon, so she shrugs it off and feigns indifference. "Do you have a name?"

Surprised at being addressed so informally even while knowing who she is, Regina's tone is one of disbelief. "Excuse me?"

Emma rolls her eyes. Minor or major – people of royalty were all the same entitled, pompous idiots. "A name... you know, what your parents called you when you were born. Have one of those?"

"Of course."

"Well, what is it?" Emma prompts.

It starts to amuse Regina that this woman just assumes she can get away with the disrespect she is showing and while she isn't entirely comfortable in her role as Queen yet, she knows if others were to overhear them, the blonde would be met with far more than a reprimand from her. "You will refer to me by title, as all others do."

Deciding she was clean enough and over the company, Emma wrings the water and grime from her shirt before dressing as quickly as possible. Once clothed, she retrieves her weapons and straps them to her body before she strolls past the Queen, avoiding her gaze as she disappears back into the forest.

Indignant, Regina yells, "I didn't dismiss you!"

Smiling Emma continues on and yells back, "You didn't invite me either!"

* * *

Regina paces back and forth across her bedroom floor, unable to get her mind off the stranger from the forest. It didn't occur to her until she was alone again that she had no idea who the blonde was. She had been so thrown off guard by the woman who sauntered into the clearing covered with blood that she hadn't even thought to ask about that, let alone a name and now she's burdened with this burning curiosity.

If that wasn't bad enough, her sudden fascination with the woman had started to hinder her ability to do her duties. She could live with the days-long reprieve from her repulsive husband that her lack of fake interest has gained her, but if she continued to wander off into daydreams about the woman while pretending to be the mother of that spoiled, good for nothing brat Snow White who had started to complain about it, then she was likely to end up with her head on the executioner's block.

"Clive!"

Being stationed outside of her room, it is but a moment before her door opens and the man she called for enters, immediately dropping to his knee before her. "Majesty?"

She stops pacing and turns to him, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she considers the question rolling through her mind. She shakes her head after a minute and begins pacing once more. She needed to find the woman who baffled her so before the King decides to do away with her and try again with some other unfortunate child but how- she stops her frantic pacing again. "Clive, have you heard anything unusual about a woman in the forest?"

"Unusual, my Queen?" he questions.

"Yes unusual, out of the ordinary, odd, not familiar to you.." she narrows her eyes at his blank stare and sighs. "I came across a woman in the forest a week ago, she was carrying a sword as well as a bow and quiver of arrows. Blonde hair, green eyes - she was covered from head to toe in blood."

"Everyone knows of the woman you speak, Majesty." she fails to hide the way her eyes widen with excitement, as well as the small smile that curls her lips but these small slips in her mask was one of the reasons Clive had agreed to be assigned as her personal guard. While he could not protect her from the vile perversions of his King, he could at least provide her safety throughout the day from those who would seek to manipulate that innocence within her and use it to their advantage.

"Stand and close the door, then tell me of her – everything you know."

"Where do you wish for me to start?" he says as he moves to do as she asked.

There were so many questions surrounding the woman, Regina isn't entirely sure where she should begin. She supposes a name was as good a place to start as any. "Who is she?"

When she gestures for him to take a seat, he removes his sword and places it on the table before he sits. "Her name is Emma. She's the daughter of Lord Gregoir, I believe his name was."

"Was?" she asks hesitantly, unsure if it had been a simple misuse of a past tense or if there were a story behind the loss of Emma's father.

He nods. "He had a tendency to over indulge in his vices, Emma walked in on him one night while he was drunk and beating his wife as he raped her – she killed him."

Regina's regret is instant and she blanches as she's overcome with the sudden urge to throw up. She stands abruptly and walks over to the doors that lead to the balcony, shoving them open and breathing in the fresh air for a long moment before she turns back to him. "Perhaps we should talk out here.. just in case."

With an understanding smile, he stands and follows her outside where they sit on opposite sides of the bench along the castle wall. "You know she would tell you all this herself if you asked."

"I'm afraid we didn't get off on the right foot."

"I find that hard to believe, she's usually rather fond of women." he chuckles.

Her eyes snap to his. "Are you saying-" she trails off and frowns, not quite sure she understands what he was trying to say.

He laughs at her confusion before she silences him with a look but the amusement in his voice is clearly there as he explains. "I'm saying she doesn't live above a whore house because the rent is cheap."

* * *

Emma hears them before they even make it up the stairs, by reason of the Madame speaking loud enough to let her know of their approach. As she climbs out of the second story window, she makes a note to thank the woman for the warning once she returns. When she drops down to the ground, she hears the tell-tale signs of her door being kicked-in and grins as a voice floats down from the open window.

"I told you she wasn't here."

She scurries into the shadows of the tavern across from the house and presses herself flush against the wall as she waits for the men to leave, her eyes fixed squarely on the head of one of them as he holds it out the window and glances both ways down the street in search of her.

It wasn't unusual for people to come looking for her since she didn't make a habit out of hiding who she was, she often found herself being approached by men and women alike – some rich, others poor – all wanting at least one of three things. Generally it involved bandits that needed killing, sometimes a noble would pay her to threaten a rival or someone simply wanted to sleep with the "Sheriff" as everyone likes to call her. She did have one rule though, and it was a simple one; she was never to be bothered when within the walls of Madame Maleficent's. Nearly everyone who was interested in acquiring her services was aware of this, so it made sense that whoever the men were ransacking her room weren't interested in hiring her.

When the door across the way is flung open, she expects those searching for her and is instead surprised when one of the whores darts across the street to where she was hiding, clinging to something wrapped within a sheet.

"Emma, it's alright – those men are.. being taken care of."

Pushing away from her hiding place, Emma steps into view of the woman who smiles and hands her a piece of parchment. "Mistress says you can repay her by beating the snot out of Lionel next time you see him." before Emma can respond, the heavy bundle is shoved in her arms and she's alone once more as the woman darts back the way she came, disappearing back inside the Brothel.

Looking down at the parchment, she frowns at the words written on there.

_[ The Fairest of them all has sent out her call - You should probably go see what she wants. Love, Mal. ]_

* * *

Regina fumes as she sits on the edge of her bed. She had sent out her guard more than two hours ago, surely they should have found the woman by now. Then again, she muses - she did send men into a whore house and as anyone with even a modicum of intelligence would attest, men and half-naked women were not a productive combination.

Her head snaps up and her back straightens as she hears heated whispers from behind her door. When there is a light tap against wood, she stands and brushes the creases from her dress before granting her permission to enter.

Clive comes into the room and kneels before her as he always does, except he isn't alone this time as another Knight follows him in and closes the door behind him.

"Ah Majesty?"

Before she can ask what's wrong, the second one cuffs him around the back of the head and mutters, "Give it a rest, uncle."

Her eyes widen at the sound of the voice and she takes a step back, her knees meeting resistance that causes her to fall to the bed with a quiet "Oomph." as she watches Emma remove the helm that had kept her identity hidden long enough for her to stroll through the castle.

"Hello again, Regina."

Immediately she stands with a glare, her anger rising to the surface at not just the lack of formality, but the unexpected way their second meeting seems to be paralleling their first. The fact her very loyal bodyguard had failed to mention that he was related to the woman when he spoke of her didn't help either.

"Clive?" she growls.

Emma chuckles, which draws Regina's ire away from the man as it's turned on her instead. She ignores the eyes that continue to glare as she moves to the table, placing the helmet down before she begins to divest herself of the heavy armour she had loathed to put on earlier.

Regina has another flash of déjà vu when she's tempted to ask Emma what she was doing but as it was obvious, and because she didn't need to provide her with more proof of how much their reunion was unnerving her, she returns her glare to the man before her and silently dismisses him with a wave of her hand.

Free of the breastplate and shoulder pads, Emma forgoes removing the rest, knowing she would have to adorn them again when it was time to leave and return them to their rightful owner.

"Is it a common occurrence of yours to undress in front of people?"

Emma drops down into one of the chairs. "Only if they're pretty."

"Charming." Regina drawls as she moves to claim the chair opposite her.

She studies the woman before her, taking note of the way Emma slumps in her seat with her ankles crossed and her legs spread out in front of her, looking far more relaxed than she should. "You know you're rather rude."

Emma grins. "I kill people for a living, live in a house full of whores and my manners is what bothers you most?"

"I'm surrounded by killers on a daily basis, _protected_ by them. As for your residence, I'm sure it's more accommodating than the wet ground of a forest or sleeping on the street."

Never one who possessed much patience and before silence could descend on them, Emma's curiosity finally gets the better of her and she asks, "Why did you send for me?" but at the same time, Regina has a question of her own. "Where are my men?"

Emma has enough experience with royalty to know she won't get an answer first, so she rolls her eyes and replies. "You sent them into a house full of half-naked women, where do you think?"

Regina had been expecting the response, though a part of her was mildly concerned that perhaps by sending the men after Emma, she may have sent them to their death. She's relieved to know that isn't the case and it clearly shows because Emma is now smirking at her. Before Emma can voice whatever thought is going through her mind, Regina answers the question she herself had been asked.

"I summoned you because you.. interest me." she frowns when her confession is met with no more than the subtle lift of an eyebrow, the slight movement reminding her of Emma's reaction or lack thereof when she screamed that day at the stream.

Bringing her legs in, Emma sits up in the chair and leans forward. "As I understand it, my uncle has told you plenty. What more could you possibly be interested in?"

Regina had learned a lot from Clive before she sent for Emma, certainly more than she bargained for but she found that rather than sating that curiosity that had plagued her for the past week, knowing what she now knew only made her thoughts and questions more intense, more.. personal.

"It's true, he is a fountain of information when it comes to you but there were.. things he could not answer."

Emma shifts in her seat as some measure of discomfort settles in the pit of her stomach. She was by no means a private person but when she realised the Queen was the one who sent those men to her room, she never expected it was because she wanted to learn more about her. If anything, she thought she might end up being thrown in the dungeon after Regina had spent some time ranting and raving about courtesy and respect when in the presence of royalty. "Such as?"

"Such as-" Regina begins and then stops. She realises she's ready to blurt out everything, she wants to know how it feels to kill someone, how Emma handles the fact that she ends lives. She wonders what it takes for Emma to convince herself that murder is justified, what drives her and – she wets her lips as another thought enters her mind – what it costs a person to make use of her skills.

Having waited for Regina to continue for far longer than her patience had been willing, Emma speaks up. "Do you want me to kill someone?" she only means to tease her but when Regina merely stares at her, Emma falls back into her chair, speechless.

She definitely did not expect _this._

"That isn't-" Regina shakes her head. This wasn't the time for that - she didn't even know this woman and she was already considering sharing things that were best kept to herself. Honestly, she wishes a lot people were dead but to confide in someone with those kinds of confessions requires her trust which is something this stranger decidedly does not have. "Your question surprised me is all, that isn't what I want."

Emma doesn't believe her. It had taken far too long to recover from her supposed surprise and if anyone can recognise the eyes of a killer in the making, it's someone with experience – of which Emma has in abundance. That didn't necessarily mean whoever she wants dead deserves to live, it just means that whoever it is, is likely someone of importance that she's hesitant to reveal, which Emma understands entirely, so rather than bring attention to the lie, she pretends to be ignorant of it. "Then what would you like to know, Regina?"

"Why do you insist on calling me Regina when you know I could very well have you beheaded for it?" It was a safe place to start, she thinks. It wasn't as though she wasn't genuinely curious of the answer.

With a barely noticeable shrug, Emma replies. "Because it's your name. Your title is that of a position, not a person – I'm not going to refer to you as a label. If you want to kill me for that well, as you said, you can."

She wouldn't, of course. Not that she would admit it - but she found it refreshing to hear someone besides her mother and father call her by name. It had been too long since she felt as though she were a person and not simply an unwilling bed warmer for the King or a glorified maid to the whims of an insipid child. A child whose sole purpose in life seems to revolve around testing Regina's will to resist her inner demons, the ones who constantly whisper in ear, goading her to reach out and simply snap the girl's neck like a twig.

Even as she watches her posture, her expression, her eyes – Emma doesn't utter a single word. Observing people has always been an obsession of hers. You can learn a lot about someone that way, if you know what to look for. In this case, whatever thoughts Regina was having in this moment were making her angry. The way her jaw clenches, the hardened stare that sees nothing beyond the image playing in her mind. She wonders if the person Regina's thinking about is the same one she wants to have killed – or if it was simply one on a list of many.

Whatever the case, it was if those few minutes never happened, erased in the blink of an eye when Regina emerges from her thoughts to offer Emma a small smile. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

Emma grins. "Got anything stronger?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: **The response to the first chapter was _awesome. _So thank you all for that ;) I just wanted to remind everyone of the warnings in the first chapter, please keep them in mind for this and the chapters to come.

I enjoyed writing this one _immensely, _so I hope it's as fun for you to read as it was for me to write.

* * *

Emma stretches her aching muscles as she lays in bed, basking in the warmth of the sun that shines blindingly through the window coupled with the heat of flesh nestled against her side.

There had been a rise in bandit activity in the last week and she still hadn't figured out the reason behind it - assuming there was one and it wasn't simply due to men becoming even more stupid than usual. Having been told of an encampment within sight of the trade route that leads to a neighbouring village, she has yet another patrol that would likely take most of her afternoon to complete.

She's nudged from her thoughts by a hand slipping between her legs and slim fingers lightly stroking her folds. Unfortunately, as much as she would enjoy lounging in bed all day, she knows that it's already far later in the morning than when she usually awakens, so she grabs the wrist and coaxes the hand from beneath the covers. Turning her head, she stares into hooded blue eyes as she brings the hand to her lips and sucks the fingers into her mouth, removing evidence of her arousal before she releases the wrist and surges forward to capture pouted lips.

When she pulls away and rises from the bed, it's to a groan of protest and that same hand grabbing at her ass as the woman whines, "It's too early to be up, come back to bed."

Emma chuckles as she searches for something clean to wear. "You know you're welcome to stay, Alice, but I have things to do."

"Oh that reminds me, Graham was looking for you – said something about a bandit with a hood or.. something like that, you know how he drones on."

She blinks slowly as she tries to make sense of the words and growls a handful of seconds later as she snatches up the clothes nearest her and tugs them on, not caring that she looks like an unkempt street urchin as she rounds on the woman. "You mean a bandit _named_ Hood, Robin Hood?"

Alice purses her lips and then nods after a moment of thought. "I do recall the name Robin, so perhaps that was it. Friend of yours?"

"No, but I'll take pleasure in introducing him to my sword."

As soon as she finds said sword, she's halfway down the stairs before it's properly seated against her back. She ignores the murmured greetings from hung over clientele as they emerge from the rooms of their chosen companions of the previous night and heads straight for the exit.

Robin Hood is an outlaw, or at least that was what he liked to think of himself as. He says that he lives to steal from the rich and give to the poor but it's nothing more than a fancy lie, a cover up to hide the fact he's nothing more than a chauvinistic scoundrel who cons women – generally those of nobility - into giving up their fortunes before he murders them. There is no moral reasoning behind the things he does. He is no different from any other bandit she's faced, with one exception, he still breathes while their rotted corpses litter the earth and when she finds his partner - the bubbly little twit - she will correct a mistake she made by letting him live as a favour to the late Maid Marian; the last of his casualties before he went into hiding two years ago.

"You know, I've got an idea... I can help people find what they need, Regina." At the sound of the Queen's name, Emma comes to a stop in the middle of the street.

"And what do I need?"

"You don't know? that's so sad, Regina. Love, you need love." Her eyes widen as she realises the voice belongs to Tinkerbell before a snarl curls her lips. If the Queen was their next target, Emma would have no problem killing the both of them this time.

As she moves closer to listen in on their conversation without drawing attention to herself, Regina gives a cynical chuckle. "You're going to help me find another soul mate?"

"It is possible to find love again. I've never seen pixie dust fail, it will find you your perfect match. If you let it, it _will_ find your happy ending." Emma scoffs, even she knows pixie dust doesn't work like that. If the stories are to be believed, happy endings are meant to be earned, they're not handed to people on a silver platter and certainly not by magic. Even someone with the powers of a seer, someone who can read the paths of Fate couldn't lead someone to their True Love. Then again, Regina is unhappy – that's obvious to even the most oblivious of people so perhaps she would buy into this pathetic plan that the fairy and bandit seem to have cooked up.

"My happy ending looks like Snow's head on a plate." Emma adds the name to the mental list she had compiled since their talk all those weeks ago and she wonders if the Princess was the one who put the look into the Queen's eyes, the look that still manages to send shivers down her spine at the mere reminder of it.

"No, aren't you the least bit curious? What if I can do what I say?"

"Well then I'd say that's _real magic_." Emma smirks at the sarcastic undertone in Regina's voice.

"Well I'm a fairy, you might want to try believing in me." Tinkerbell was a good actress, Emma had to give that to her at least. Perhaps if she weren't familiar with their scheming, even she might be tempted to believe the pretty little lies that she tells so convincingly.

She isn't sure how much longer she waits until Tinkerbell and Regina finally get up to leave but when they eventually do, Emma follows them at a distance, ducking out of sight whenever the situation calls for it and once they reach the castle, Emma decides to follow the fairy as she separates from the Queen. She hopes Tinkerbell will lead her to Robin Hood but if that fails, she figures she can always wait until she returns to Regina to enact whatever laughable plan the two idiots have thought up.

* * *

Regina closes the book that she's been trying to read for the past half an hour, unable to get Tinkerbell's words from her mind, she keeps losing her concentration after each sentence and has to start again. She sighs as she places it on the bench beside her and leans against the castle wall, tilting her head to stare up at the cloudless sky. Perhaps if she stops trying to ignore her thoughts and feelings, she might be able to put the words out of her mind so she can focus on the more important things.

Things like the odd pulling sensation she feels inside her chest whenever she catches sight of blonde curls during her jaunts through the village. She shakes her head, a faint smile on her lips as she inwardly scolds herself. Learning magic, that was important – not her silly infatuation with a bona fide killer. Rumpelstiltskin had finally agreed to teach her and that was why she had come out here to begin with, she was supposed to be studying the book he had left her but as hard as she tries, it appeared any attempt would be useless until she deals with the conversation that refuses to be ignored.

So she thinks, she feels. She raises her walls and opens herself up to hope, to possibilities – and instantly closes herself back down again.

It was simply ridiculous to expect True Love to be handed to her, it didn't even make sense. Daniel had been her True Love and unless pixie dust could bring back someone from the dead – which she is fairly certain Rumpelstiltskin is familiar with and wouldn't have neglected to mention – then her hope of love and a happy ending died with Daniel and that was it. To wish for something that wasn't possible, was foolish. She was a Queen, foolishness was best left to the peasants, the ones who still have even the slightest chance to experience happiness.

Rolling her eyes, she stands, snatches the book from where it lay and moves indoors. Her mother always said that love is weakness, better to believe that than open her heart once more to crushing disappointment.

"Regina?"

She spins around at the sound of the voice and takes a step back upon seeing how close the fairy is. "You got it?"

Tinkerbell gives her a small smile. "And then some, let's get started."

* * *

Emma's hand slams into the wall as she's thrown off-balance, her head spinning in time with the lurching of her stomach - brought on by the surreal experience of travelling within milliseconds with the help of magic. She doubles over, dry heaving as his voice invades her mind. _"__Disorienting, I know. You need to compose yourself quickly, they're approaching." _

She still isn't sure she can trust him but she nods weakly, even though she knows he won't be able to see the action and straightens, carefully backing into the shadows as she hears the confirmation of his words in the form of two distinct voices.

"Inside here lies the beginning of your happiness, all the pain in your past will be just that - your past." Emma's upper lip curls in a grimace as they walk passed and she has to reign in the desire to leave her hiding place to grab the blonde by the hair and drag her back into the shadows to beat her to death.

Regina breathes deeply, her heart racing beyond what one would consider a normal pace while her throat was suddenly the driest part of her anatomy. "I just need a moment."

Tinkerbell gives her a soft smile. "You're nervous, I get it.. but look, there he is - the guy with the lion tattoo."

"That's him?" Regina asks and the hope in her voice causes Emma to flinch. The fact Regina does seem to have fallen for the fairy's lies has an unexpected effect on her, one that has her gritting her teeth and wanting to do unspeakably violent things to both of the con artists – not that she wasn't planning to in the first place, she thinks with a frown.

"Pixie dust doesn't lie. Come on, this is your chance at love and happiness - fresh start, no baggage. You can let go of all the anger that weighs you down, go get him."

"Okay, I can do this.. I can be happy." Emma doesn't think Regina sounds very convincing, which only ignites another spark of sympathy in her for the Queen and causes her brow to crease further.

"I know you can... go." Tinkerbell urges before she turns to walk away.

When she's out of sight Emma turns her attention back to Regina who stands frozen in the doorway of the tavern, looking in at the man the fairy claims is her True Love. Confusion fills her when she sees Regina slowly shake her head but it's replaced with an overwhelming and unexplainable surge of relief when Regina turns her back to what she believes is her destiny and flees.

She presses a palm to her forehead and shakes her head - she obviously needs to drown herself in alcohol for a few hours if she was starting to empathise with a royal, as if anyone of a noble upbringing had any experience with true hardship. Regina might think she is unhappy but if she had a clue as to even half of what the average peasant goes through, she would realise that her life is a practical heaven in comparison.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Emma shakes her head again and steps out from beneath the shadows. More than likely, Regina simply realised that pursing someone while she was married was immoral, her fleeing was probably nothing more than a result of guilt. Emma has an important job to do, standing here and analysing the situation was a waste of time.

Yanking the door to the tavern open, she feels the eyes that land on her but her focus is glued to the back of a man slumped over a table as she moves further into the room. A few of the men surrounding the table have already noticed her, some indifferent to her approach while others eyes dart between her and her intended target.

None of them warn him as she comes to stand beside him and she smirks when their heads turn away from the scene, their attention drawn elsewhere as she taps him on the shoulder.

"Hello, Robin."

"Oh shit." His chair tips over as he shoots to his feet, her laughter following him as he flies out of the tavern and nearly trips in his haste to descend the stairs. He can hear the sound of her boots on gravel as she gives chase which causes a surge of adrenaline to pump through his veins, giving him a burst of speed as he weaves through drunken villagers on their way home.

Just as he crosses the border between village and forest, he smirks as he hears the "Fuck." she mutters beneath her breath.

Emma growls as he disappears into the trees, the darkness of night would make finding him a bitch in the forest but if she doesn't catch him, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't come back and try to get close to Regina again - so she continues to run.

He may be a bandit, but no one knows the forests quite as well as she does.

Robin knows she's still coming, even if he couldn't hear her, he could almost feel the rage that emanated from her as it was directed all on to him. He knows there's no way she could actually _see _him, but that knowledge doesn't prevent the shiver from tearing down his spine. If he didn't escape, he would be dead long before the light of morning comes. He releases his own expletive when his shoulder collides with the trunk of a tree but even as the pain shoots down his arm, he clenches his jaw and keeps moving.

Emma can almost smell his fear and her eyes flash dangerously as she hears the thump, followed quickly by his curse. She doesn't bother to hope that he's stopped, she's too close for him to risk shortening the distance between them. She isn't trying to be silent, she knows she's making plenty of noise but she also knows that if he can't hear her, he'd be more careful, more alert and therefore harder to find in the dark.

When she catches sight of him, it's no more than a blur of colour as he fails to avoid the light of the moon that's broken through the treetops - but it's enough. As quick as he is on his feet, she's even faster with her hands and with the swift precision that only a marksman could possess, she's pulled a knife from the sheath at her waist and released it into the air. Barely a second passes before her aim is confirmed true and his shout of pain scatters the winged-creatures of the night from their nests.

As the blade buries itself in his thigh and his leg gives out beneath him, he falls to his knees while his hand flails behind him in search of the handle to pull it free. It's as he grasps it and looks for her over his shoulder, that he knows his time has run out.

Emma advances on him with a look of pure hatred in her eyes, her lungs burning and nostrils flaring in an attempt to regain her breath while her body thrums with the effort she's exerting to control her blood lust. She glares down at him, a cruel smile playing along her lips as she bends down and rips the knife from his leg before straightening and forcing him flat against the earth with a solid boot slamming down into his back.

While the air is knocked out of him, she drops to her knees and straddles him. She grabs a handful of his hair and yanks his head back with enough force that his chest lifts from the ground as he arches his back in order to prevent the snapping of his neck. He tries to talk, to beg for his life even though he knows it won't work, but any plea he could think of fails to make it from his mouth as she silences him by pressing the knife against his throat.

She's about to draw it across when a question enters her head and she pauses to ask it. "What were you planning to do about her guards?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, bandit. I know you had the fairy lure the Queen to you." she adds pressure to the knife and smiles when he flinches as the blade pierces his throat. "When you got into the castle, how would you have gotten her things past the guards after you'd killed her?"

She laughs after a few minutes of silence, unsurprised by his stupidity - his ability to evade her until now had nothing to do with being more intelligent or cunning than she was and everything to do with the fact he was a coward with dim-witted friends who knew how to hide. "Were you hoping they would be too busy standing around, playing with their dicks while you hauled your loot through the halls?"

His features harden with a scowl but he remains silent while she taunts him. "Sucks to be you, since she took one look at your ugly mug and ran off. I'll be sure to thank your girlfriend for leading me to you though, right before I kill her."

Without waiting for his response, she pulls the blade across his throat and shoves his face into the dirt as she stands. As she's about to kick him over on to his back, the sound of a giggle reaches her ears and in an instant, the ring of her sword being drawn fills the air and she spins on the intruder.

"Now now, deary, no need for that." Rumpelstiltskin steps out from behind the tree and smiles at her, his expression otherwise calm as he approaches.

Relaxing with a sigh, she returns the sword to its sheath as she asks, "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring her question, he flicks his wrist toward the fresh corpse which flops over on to its back as the imp speaks. "I'm impressed. I was certain that once he entered the forest, you would lose him."

"Then you know less than you think, Imp. I did as I said I would when you agreed to help, now what do you want?"

She sneers when he tuts. "I want you, to go and inform the Queen that this..." he looks down at the now-dead man with a grimace of disgust. "Cretin, no longer exists to distract her from her more important pursuits."

"I am no messenger." she growls.

He smiles. "Perhaps not, but it would be in your best interest if she hears the news from someone she knows – it may save you from her dungeons."

* * *

"How could you?" Regina starts as she enters her chamber, confusion overcoming her expression as she sees the barely restrained anger the fairy was aiming at her.

She turns and closes the doors to prevent others from overhearing the conversation before she moves further into the room and says, "If this about Robin, I'm sorry but I couldn't do it."

Tinkerbell stands from the bed with a snarl, hands clenching at her side as she spits. "So you killed him?"

Regina freezes in her movements and her eyes widen with shock a moment before hands wrap around her throat and shove her against the wall. "You couldn't just walk away? What the hell is wrong with you!"

Panicking, she doesn't hear any more of the words that come from the fairy's mouth as she tries to remember her lessons with Rumpel, her mind rushing through any and every spell he's taught her. It isn't long before her vision begins to fade and the blonde in front of her is nothing more than a blurry outline, her thoughts all fusing together and rendering her attempt to focus on anything besides trying to breathe, futile.

But just as suddenly as she had been attacked, the hands release their hold around her neck and her sight comes rushing back to her as the fairy crumples to the floor. When she looks down, she can see the handle of a knife sticking out of the woman's back and she turns her head to the side. The familiar blonde curls is the first thing she sees as Emma pushes Clive toward her and when he reaches for her, Regina falls into his arms and watches as Emma grabs the fairy by the ankle and drags her out on to the balcony.

Half an hour passes in which she listens to the muted cries of the fairy as she begs for her life. Clive had tried to get her to leave the room but she couldn't, she had to know why Emma killed Robin and why she now stood outside on her balcony killing Tinkerbell. She didn't feel sorry for the fairy, quite the opposite but there had to be a reason beyond her being caught in the crossfire for her guard to stand back and allow the blonde to commit murder.

When silence finally descends, Regina turns on her bed in time to witness Emma reaching to open the doors, only noticing the blood splattered across her torso and face once she's absorbed the fact Emma had removed her shirt and only the wrap around her chest kept her from appearing inappropriately exposed.

Moving past her without a word, Emma sticks her head outside the room to ask Clive to fetch the servants before she closes the door again and faces Regina. She says nothing as she watches the gaze traverse appreciatively over her flesh and it's only when Regina realises she's staring at the blonde and looks away with a slight blush that Emma finally speaks. "I came to tell you about Robin, I didn't know she was here."

Regina swallows the lump in her throat. "Why did you kill him?"

"He was the leader of a group of bandits that call themselves the Merry Men, he was responsible for the death of a woman named Marian and her daughter Elisabeth..." When a light tap came at the door, Emma trails off and walks over to open it, permitting entrance to the servants before closing it once more and returning to her story.

"Her father hired me roughly three years ago, fortunately for him, Marian and I were friends so he didn't need to pauper himself for me to promise that I would take care of Robin."

Regina doesn't say anything when she finishes, so she fetches the cloth from the bucket a servant had left by the door for her and begins to scrub the blood from her body. She doesn't know how long it takes but once she's as clean as she could be without a proper bath, she's in the process of pulling her shirt back on when Regina seems to have collected her thoughts enough to say something.

"What about Tink?"

There was no clear reason for that, there were many half-responses she could give that are a combination of truth and – complete crap. She could probably think up a lie to explain it away but somehow making up excuses, false excuses, for the fact she committed an almost unnecessary torture and murder session on a woman seems more wrong than the action itself.

"I.." she stops, releases a frustrated huff of air and tries again. "I don't know."

Before Regina can respond though, she keeps going. "She's his girlfriend, she lured you to the tavern so he could get close to you. They were planning to kill you." she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and shakes her head. "She attacked you, she would have been put to death anyway."

She clears her throat and reaches for the door. "You should probably sleep somewhere else tonight, the servants will take a while to.. clean up the blood. I have to leave but I'll tell Clive to come in and help you with uh.. whatever."

She doesn't wait for a response and she slips out the door, leaving Regina to stare after her in confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina didn't think she would ever come to the stream again, not after the way she was scared half to death the first time. Except now that Leopold and Snow had returned to the castle, she finds it is the only place where she can be at peace. The royal family had been back barely a week and already the spoiled brat was getting on her nerves, not to mention the King who treated her as though she were simply a trophy for his throne room. That was of course when he wasn't drunk and demanding her presence within his chambers – all so he could rut about like the pig he is while she escapes into her head and pretends the experience is nothing more than a badly written nightmare that she'll eventually wake up from. It is a place of reprieve, somewhere she can come to think, to be alone – though Clive was never very far away.

Ever since the incident in her chambers with Tinkerbell, he refuses to leave her side for extended periods of time and while it is somewhat irritating, it is also comforting to know that someone cares about her safety enough to go beyond what their duty requires of them. She used to have other guards to see to her when she wanders the forests and villages surrounding the Kingdom but ever since that night, he was adamant that he would be the one to protect her from now on and as she is rather fond of him, she chooses to allow it.

Having him as her constant companion also means she gets to see Emma more often and while they haven't spoken much since that night, Regina realises that even with the silence that always seems to accompany the visits, she looks forward to them and still thinks about them long after they're over.

She thought with time, Emma would come around and eventually tell her why she stopped talking to her or at least pretend it hadn't occurred and they would pick up where they left off but now, after a month, she isn't so sure any more.

Regina doesn't know why it disappoints her, only that it does and it's the reason she smiles when she hears Emma's voice beyond the tree line. "Get out of the way, dickhead." she can only assume the blonde is talking to Clive and she still finds it amusing that he treats his niece the exact same way he does everyone else when it comes to protecting her.

"Emma, the Queen is here." he insists.

Emma growls. "I don't care if the fucking Gods themselves are here, I feel disgusting and I want to bathe. Now move, unless you want your blood added to what I already have to remove from my clothes ."

The threat is followed by the brief sound of something thumping against metal and as Regina turns her head in their direction, she can see the flash of blonde curls moving through the trees toward her and the form of her supposed bodyguard following behind, holding his helm in one hand while rubbing his head with the other.

Seeing her staring at them, Emma inclines her head as she walks by and murmurs "Regina." as has become her habit when greeting the Queen. Clive looks to her, a silent apology written clearly across his face but she brushes it off with a faint smile and dismisses him with a wave of her hand. She would never blame him for Emma's behaviour nor, did she think, would she ever really complain about it.

She watches as the weapons Emma carries are tossed carelessly to the ground, continues to watch as she removes each piece of clothing and she can feel the way her stomach knots as her eyes roam the pale expanse of Emma's back, tracing the curves and muscles that tense with her movements. She knows she's blushing when her eyes follow hands as they reach for leather pants that cling so deliciously to hips and ass, but she can't bring herself to tear her eyes away and she bites her bottom lip, teeth sinking deeper and harder with each newly revealed patch of skin.

Emma is content to pretend she's alone but when her ears catch the barely audible gasp from behind her, instinct kicks in and before she knows it, she's turning to face the sound.

And is suddenly confused by the sight before her.

Regina is no longer perched on her tree stump and is, instead, much closer to Emma than she had been. At some point while admiring Emma from a safe distance, Regina had stood and started moving towards her – had she snapped out of her thoughts any later, she would probably have been on top of the blonde before she had even registered the move at all.

Dilated pupils, flushed cheeks, shallow breath – Emma notices all of it but none of that is what has her attention. It's the discolouration along Regina's neck that her eyes are drawn to, and the minor bruising that dapple her collarbone. When she takes a step forward, Regina takes one back and holds out her hand. Their eyes meet, emerald filled with concern while brown show a hint of fear riddled with confusion. Emma tries to smile but it doesn't reach her eyes, nor her voice. "I won't hurt you."

Regina gives a shaky laugh before she drops her gaze to the apex of Emma's thighs and traverses upward – from the neatly trimmed hairs to twin mounds of perfectly rounded flesh before finally landing on emerald once more as she shakes her head, a small quirk to her lips. "That isn't what I was afraid of."

The moment the words leave her lips, Emma's eyes widen and she once again turns her back to Regina. "I uh.." she laughs softly. "Guess that answers the question of how inappropriate I can be."

Regina chuckles. "With how often you've undressed in front of me, I'm mildly surprised it took you this long to fully expose yourself."

Blushing, Emma's glad Regina can't see her expression. It wasn't like she consciously chose to be in varied states of undress in front of her but she had become aware of the fact that Regina has seen quite a lot more of her than most – at least when it came to those she hasn't shared a bed with.

But she can't help notice that Regina has never once complained about the behaviour. "If memory serves, I don't recall you ever opposing."

Regina knows Emma is right but she can't help retorting, "You say that as though I was given a choice and yet, I don't recall a time you've ever asked."

Shrugging with a laugh, Emma goes back to bathing as Regina returns to her tree stump, both content to return to the familiarity of the shared silence.

It isn't long before Emma is finally clean and she skips adorning her weapons after redressing, surprising Regina when she comes to stand before her and drops down on the grass to sit at her feet. "Who did that to you?"

Resisting the desire to cover her neck upon noticing where Emma's eyes are, Regina looks to the stream and sighs. "Leopold."

"He abuses you?"

"He doesn't think so." and a shrug is all she gets in reply.

There's a thoughtful moment of silence before Emma speaks again,"What do you think?"

Regina squirms where she sits, feeling the eyes still scanning the marks as though Emma is memorising each one. "I don't."

"What?"

"I'm the wife of a King." she laughs but the sound is as empty as her tone. "It doesn't require much thought to do as you're told."

"You have a choice, you know."

She shakes her head. "Not if I want to live, I don't."

"He'd kill you for denying him?" Emma grimaces.

Finally, Regina sighs heavily and recites the words she has heard from the very first night of her marriage. "Duty or Death, Regina. - That's his motto when he thinks I might consider resisting."

Emma's anger flares bright at that. It isn't only the words that infuriate her, but the way Regina seems to have accepted a role that had been forced upon her. She knows of the arranged marriage between them, the situation in which the King and Queen met before their reunion, she knows it was not her choice – Regina wasn't the only one who had learned things from Clive. What she didn't know, what she didn't realise until now is that the woman isn't simply unhappy, she's broken.

"I apologise for the intrusion, Your Majesty." Clive's voice interrupts them as he steps into view. "But there is a messenger here – he says the King has summoned you."

Regina stands and smiles softly down at Emma, her hand reaching out to brush the crease from the blonde's forehead as she says, "Duty calls." before she turns and follows Clive from the clearing.

* * *

Emma hated royalty, they were all so pretentious, so holier-than-thou, thinking they could do no wrong. Never in her twenty-one years did she ever feel anything other than disdain for them and now, now there was Regina. If there were a woman she should despise above all others, it was a Queen.

But whenever she was around her, there was no disdain, no desire to be rid of her presence. Emma found - more often than not – she wanted to protect her, to tease her, to make her laugh. She sympathised with her, understood her to an extent and the more she learned of the woman, the less she knew of herself.

Hours passed in which Emma remained at the stream and it wasn't until darkness began to fall that she finally picked herself up from the ground, grabbed her weapons and made her way back into the village where she headed straight for the tavern. By that point, any of the rage she had been feeling had sputtered out and all she could feel was the emptiness that it left behind.

"Well you look like shit."

Emma opens her eyes and lifts her head just as the brunette drops into the chair on her right, making herself welcome as she has the tendency to do. "I am so not in the mood for you, Jack."

Cocking her head, Jack flashes her a grin. "And here I was hoping for a nice good fuck." when all she receives in return is Emma's unamused stare, she rolls her eyes. "Fine I give. What's wrong, Princess?"

"Can I not just drink in peace?" Emma groans as she buries her face in her arms once more.

Jack tugs at one of the blonde curls splayed on the table. "You can either drink and talk with me or drag me back to your room where we can fuck like bunnies, your choice."

With a sigh Emma stands and grabs her wrist, pulling her out of her seat and smirking at the enthusiastic, "Yay" Jack gives when she leads them out the door.

By the time they make it to her room, Emma's shirt is hanging halfway off her shoulders and she's fairly certain she's flashed at least a quarter of the village but with the mouth attached to her neck and the hands all over her, she can't find it in herself to care what people might think.

As she kicks the door closed behind them, she shrugs the shirt from her body before she pushes Jack up against the wall and sinks teeth into her neck while hands deftly unbutton the jerkin that prevents Emma access to Jack's breasts.

She fists the shirt beneath and ignores the gasp as she tears it down the middle, the damage soon forgotten when she wraps her lips around an already hardened nipple and pinches the other between thumb and forefinger.

Hands wander over her back, clutching shoulders while nails occasionally dig into flesh. Emma barely notices the discomfort, her attention focused on drawing the sounds from the woman with teeth and tongue, her hand sliding down a stomach that clenches at her touch before she slips her fingers beneath the waistband of Jack's trousers.

Hips thrust against Emma's hand as she runs her fingers through slick folds, lightly rubbing up and down the slit before she plunges two fingers inside, groaning at the feel of wet heat clinging to her digits and pulling her deeper.

"Fuck Emma, can we.." Jack trails off into a moan as the fingers start to move inside her. She shakes her head as she adjusts and tries again. "Can we at least move to the bed?"

Emma pulls away from her chest with a throaty chuckle and crooks her fingers. She wraps an arm around Jack's waist and easily picks her up, but the new position forces her fingers deeper and makes their walk to the bed slightly more difficult as Jack starts to thrust herself on to Emma's hand.

Dropping her to the bed, Emma removes her fingers and sucks them clean, smirking at the way dark eyes watch her from beneath hooded lids before she lowers both hands to the waistband of Jack's pants and tugs until hips rise and she can pull them down her legs.

Jack manages to kick off her boots before Emma frees her from the confining leather and she moans as cool air caresses the warm heat of her pussy. A whimper escapes her only seconds later at the sight of Emma's tongue swiping across pale lips, reminding her of all the times that tongue has been between her legs – she didn't realise how much she missed their little trysts until now and she's eager to add another memory to her collection.

Thighs clamp tightly around Emma's head, fingers threading through her hair as she traces circles around Jack's clit. Coaxing sounds from deep within her throat, Emma alternates between licking and sucking the hardened nub as Jack bucks wildly beneath her.

"She's not going to be happy if you interrupt her." Jack growls and her hold tightens as Emma's ministrations stop and her attention is drawn to the voice behind her door a second before it opens to reveal the Queen and an amused Maleficent.

Maleficent chuckles at the sight of Emma on her knees and shrugs as emerald eyes glare at her. "I did tell her you were busy."

Licking the moisture from her lips, Emma extricates the hand in her hair and retrieves her shirt. Putting it on as she stands, she looks down at Jack who seems to recover from her surprise quicker than Emma had anticipated and she's too late to slap a hand over her mouth. "You're fucking the Queen?"

Emma spins and her eyes dart to Regina, her confusion evident when she seems to be the only person in the room unaffected by the question – even while Maleficent grins, there's a faint blush colouring her cheeks – which is more than can be said for the expression of indifference on Regina's face.

In an entirely feigned tone of complete boredom, Regina drawls. "I see your impropriety with words and tendency to expose yourself to women are both charming traits you share with your friends."

Rolling her eyes, Jack rises from the bed to collect her clothes from the floor, all the while mimicking Regina's tone while muttering about barging into people's rooms unannounced – which thoroughly amuses Regina if her smirk is anything to go by.

Once she's dressed, she grabs Emma by the collar of her shirt and pulls her into a rather heated and not entirely one-sided kiss before shoving her on to the bed and brushing past Regina. She pauses beside the older blonde, eyebrow raised as she says, "Come play with me, Mal."

Maleficent grins and slides her arm around Jack's waist, throwing a "Have fun ladies." over her shoulder as the two descend the stairs together.

Regina takes a moment to study Emma, wondering if her friend sauntering off with another woman is something she should be concerned about causing but as Emma's expression shows no signs of being perturbed by it, she shrugs it off and settles beside the blonde while simultaneously choosing to ignore what had just occurred where they sit.

Emma surfaces from her self-inflicted trance when the bed shifts and she looks to Regina, then averts her eyes as she notices the fresh set of bruises. The ale she consumed at the tavern keeps her mind pleasantly buzzing, helping to control her bubbling anger as she asks, "Why did you come here?"

When Leopold had fallen asleep, Regina's mind kept going back to the emotions she'd seen in Emma's eyes earlier that day and the words she had spoken. Regina felt helpless in her role, ashamed that she had shared that burden of knowledge with the blonde and after almost two hours of trying to clear her head, she realised the only way she was going to succeed in doing so was by finishing their conversation – so she had ordered Clive to take her to Emma and he had obliged.

"I couldn't sleep." she sighs. "I told you things this afternoon that few people know, things I should have kept to myself but it's too late to take them back and I needed to apologise..."

"You still have a choice, you know." Emma murmurs, watching the way Regina's hands fidget in her lap while she speaks.

"I..." Regina frowns, not quite sure she heard her correctly. "What?"

Emma had come to the conclusion about halfway through her third drink, there was always a choice; all you had to do was think about it for a while and it would eventually come to you. "Leopold, he thinks that by threatening your life, he's taken your choice. You probably think so too, hell I thought so until I started drinking.."

"What are you saying?" Regina asks softly.

"I'm saying - that despite what anyone tells you, you have free will. If someone threatens your life when you refuse them control over it, then you take that ability from them." Emma stands and moves to the other side of the room, she didn't want Regina to see it – the way her eyes darken at the thought.

Regina lets the words sink in, turning them over in her mind and as the minutes tick by, she's certain of only one thing Emma could be suggesting and it causes her to exhale loudly. It wasn't as though she never considers it, in fact it is one of the two deaths that she fantasises about more often than is probably sane - but to hear someone else propose the idea was astonishing and perhaps a little bit thrilling.

"You think I should kill him?"

Emma scoffs. "As his wife you'd be the first one to suspect. People would probably assume you were trying to take power, overthrow the Patriarchy and send the world into chaos and despair."

She tilts her head, a wistful smile curling her lips. "Not that I would suggest otherwise, if that is what you want to do. But you'd probably end up in the dungeon, awaiting your execution by the end of that same day – that's assuming no one wanted to assassinate you."

Regina stands and makes her way over to where the blonde gazes out the window. "You realise this entire conversation is preposterous, don't you? Even were I to consider this, I would be putting someone else at risk all for my own selfish reasons."

"It isn't selfish to want a choice, to want freedom." Emma shakes her head with a growl. "You're supposed to be a Queen, yet you're surrounded by people who treat you like a child. Aren't you tired of others making your decisions for you? "

"And who would risk their life to free me?" Her breath hitches when Emma turns to her, the emerald of her eyes almost entirely black as she smiles cruelly.

"I could do it."

* * *

**Author Note: **Hey Guest Reviewers, could you like.. make an account so I don't have to resist spamming a chapter to answer you guys? I'm not very good with temptation and it's taking a lot of effort not to respond to some of the comments I've received.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: **There is a dismissal amount of violence in this chapter, it disappoints me more than it probably should.

**Side Note: **There is something seriously wrong with some of you, having a reason to torture and murder people doesn't make it okay. Ya'll frighten me.

* * *

"Why are you sitting up in a tree?" Emma glances down at the sound of his voice and she can see the familiar face of the Huntsman staring up at her, caught between curiosity and his usual expression of pensiveness.

Probably worried about how many bird nests were destroyed in the climb, she thinks as an impish grin spreads across her face. "I was trying to spot small animals, my knife-throwing arm has been acting up lately."

He frowns. "Do you know there are at least nine -"

" - species of endangered wildlife in this area alone. Yes, Graham, you may have mentioned that two or three _dozen _times already." she interrupts as she nimbly descends the tree, dropping to the forest floor just as she finishes and smirking when he swats her on the shoulder.

"So what were you really doing up there?" he asks, falling into step beside her as she begins the walk back to the road.

"I was thinking, didn't want an arrow in the back or a sword through my head while I was off daydreaming." she shrugs.

He nods. "Does this have something to do with that offer you extended to the Queen?" When she doesn't respond, he continues. "If she accepted and you're having second thoughts..."

Emma shakes her head, waving her hand as she cuts him off. "It's not that, she still hasn't told me if she wants me to do it. I was thinking about a plan – for when she does."

"You sound certain that she will."

She smiles. There was no doubt in her mind about whether Regina will come to her again, it was only a question of when and when the time came, Emma wants to be prepared for it. "There are things I haven't told you about our interactions but I know what I've seen, just as you knew when you found me cowering in those caves all those years ago."

He sees the way her features have darkened by the end, but he is as unsurprised by the sudden change as she no doubt was. "I see you still carry your burden."

"And I always will."

He sighs, having heard those words all too often. "And I will always remind you, her death was not your fault. You were barely more than a child, outnumbered and incapable of defending yourself let alone someone else."

"_Someone else?_" she growls. "You speak of her as though she were just another ordinary woman, another notch on those bandit's belts. They abused her, raped her – I could hear her crying for miles."

He feels the tug in his chest as he had in the months that followed that night, as he does whenever he hears her speak of it. He shakes his head. "It still wasn't your fault."

Emma spins on him and shoves him against the nearest tree as she snarls. "I left her there to die, so I could escape!"

She tries to shrug him off when his hands clasp her shoulders but his grip tightens and he ignores the arm across his neck. "You were all of fifteen, Emma. She gave her life to give you a chance, a chance that you have not wasted."

"She would be proud of you, the things you have done to avenge her, to avenge the children who have lost their parents to the greed of man and the countless women who's lives you've saved – whether from ruin or death." As he speaks, the pressure on his throat eases and his breathing becomes less strained.

"I abandoned her." Tears slip unbidden down her cheeks as her anger gives way to the pain that has haunted her for the last six years, one she knows she will always carry no matter how often she tries to bury it.

When her arm drops to her side, Graham pulls her into his embrace before she can step away from him. "Your mother loved you, she saved you just as you once saved her – her sacrifice was not in vain and she wouldn't want you blaming yourself."

There's a faint smile on her lips when he releases her and she wipes at her eyes as she says, "Clive used to say the same thing."

Graham chuckles softly. "You should probably listen once in a while. He has his moments of wisdom, it's one of the reasons I trusted him to look after you."

Emma gives an indecisive hum as she turns to resume their walk and she's thankful Graham doesn't enquire about it when he joins her, instead choosing to stay silent while she wanders with her thoughts. It's not that she doesn't trust Clive, he's actually one of the few that she does – her avoidance of him however, is more to do with knowing how she's been treating him lately.

When Graham found her huddled in the cave after escaping the bandits that took her mother's life that night, they barely spoke to one another as he led her through forest and when they stood outside a small cottage on the outskirts of the nearby village, all she was told of the family within was that the man was a friend and she wouldn't be turned away – he hadn't lied.

Clive was a virtual saint, as was his wife and two children. The moment the door opened to them, she was ushered inside where they welcomed her in as one of their own. So unused to the kindness, especially from complete strangers, Emma had spent a majority of the first year there acting out. He always forgave her, for the things she did and the things she said. During the second year, once she'd settled down, he spent a good amount of time training her in the field behind their house where Graham came upon them occasionally to help.

It lasted four years, in which she developed a habit of referring to them as family. Clive and Janet became her kind-of-step-parents but she was never able to refer to them as mother or father, Clive was too good to share the title of a drunk, abusive asshole and Janet, well, she was every bit as kind and loving as a mother should be but it felt like too much of a betrayal, besides being her aunt fit better. As for their sons, they were the brothers Emma never had and she loved them both as such.

Yeah, she really did need to treat her Uncle better – and maybe pay a visit to the rest of the Swan Family.

* * *

"Mother?"

Regina inwardly flinches at term, as well as the sound of the high-pitched drawl invading her thoughts and as an image of strangling the girl enters her mind, the smile on her lips as she turns is far more genuine than she would have managed otherwise. "Yes dear?"

"It's my birthday today." Snow states, as though all the servants darting around the castle to prepare for the ball to celebrate the imbeciles sixteenth birthday wasn't enough of a hint.

Still, Regina continues to smile as the mental image of the girl begins to change colour. "I am aware of that, Princess."

"Did you get me a present?"

A noose, Regina thinks as she nods and reaches out a hand to brush a strand of hair from the girl's eyes. "Don't I always?"

Snow's face brightens, her eyes as wide and as manipulative as her smile. "May I have it?"

It was the same thing every year. Snow would ask everyone else the exact same thing throughout the day and everyone would respond accordingly, Regina often wondered what would happen to someone who didn't but no one had been willing to attempt it so far, much to her disappointment.

"You know the rules, dear. You'll have to wait til after.." everyone kisses your royal arse, her mind supplies. "..the celebratory speeches."

"Oh mother, please?" Snow pouts.

Regina shakes her head as she wanders over to the wardrobe containing her heinous selection of dresses, rolling her eyes as she turns her back to the girl. "We both know that won't work, now run along Princess."

* * *

They come to a stop half a mile or so outside the village and the thoughtful look upon Emma's face causes Graham mild concern that grows the longer she remains silent.

Just as he's about to ask what's on her mind, she speaks. "Would you consider helping me?"

He has his suspicions regarding what she's referring to but he raises his eyebrow anyway and asks, "With what?"

"The King." she says, her hand rising to stop the flow of words that she expects to come. "It's the Lupine Festival in two weeks time."

"You think she'll give you an answer that soon?" he asks.

Blinking back her surprise at the lack of argument and needless speech she'd concocted during their walk, it takes her a moment to rearrange her thoughts and to remember the question before she supplies an answer. "I'm not sure but if she does, I want to be ready and it would be a good time to do it. You know how arrogant he is when it comes to his hunting, _he_ likes to think of it as bravery but we both know it's -"

" - stupidity, yes." he finishes. "If she comes to you before then and accepts, I would consider helping you."

He grins when she pats him on the shoulder, her own grin matching his. "I'll let you know when I've come up with a plan that doesn't end in one of our deaths."

"That would be preferable." his grin widens at her eye roll. "Where are you off to now?"

"Hmm I was thinking of going to see Jack."

He narrows his eyes. "Shouldn't you start working on a plan now?"

She stares blankly. "What?" his meaning dawns on her before he replies and she laughs. "Oh yeah, no. That wasn't the reason, she has access to uh." she sighs. "Alchemy things."

"You mean poison."

She makes a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat. "Could we not announce that to the entirety of the Enchanted Forest?"

There's a faint hint of colour in his cheeks as he sheepishly rubs the back of his head, his smile apologetic. "Sorry."

* * *

Regina gives a weary sigh as she sits upon her throne, already bored out of her mind performing her _royal duty _as Queen – which consisted of smiling politely and feigning interest when someone deigns to approach the dais. She would give anything for some entertainment that didn't revolve around pubescent Princes fawning all over the Princess like she was some sort of treasure.

"Honoured guests." Leopold's voice rings through the room and all noise immediately ceases as those in attendance turn their attention to him.

"I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate another year of my precious daughters life." Regina inwardly groans and mentally rolls her eyes.

_Of course _she would have to sit here and listen to him praise idiot junior.

"My sweet girl, it has been wonderful watching you grow into the fine young woman you have become and it gladdens my heart to see how much you resemble your mother - may her soul rest in peace." And what better way to add to the torturous occasion than by mentioning his long dead wife, whom he had promptly replaced with someone less than half his age. It's at this point that she starts to pretend to listen while her mind wanders, Leopold's words fading to the background as he drones monotonously beside her.

Her thoughts instantly find their way to blonde curls and dark, emerald eyes and the image is so vivid that for a moment she can almost convince herself that it's real – except she knows she's still in the palace and the look in those eyes were specific to that night.

Almost a week has come and gone since she last saw Emma and despite the avoidance being of her own choosing, there's an uncomfortable sense of something _missing _that she can only attribute to the separation. There have been at least five instances where she's come to the decision to give in and visit the blonde, only she's been stopped each time by that ever-present question that has her conflicted.

Should she, or shouldn't she?

She wants to be free of Leopold, free of a marriage she had no say in, free of her forced motherhood to a child she despises – so the obvious choice would, of course, be to accept Emma's offer. But then the doubts set in, there's no guarantee Emma will succeed and even if she does, there's still the possibility she could be caught and Regina didn't want to take the chance. To risk someone else's life, someone else's freedom for her own.

With a soft sigh, she shakes her head and closes her eyes, snapping them open barely a second later when she's reminded of where she is. Her gaze darts between the faces of entirely unobservant noblemen and women, flicking to the King briefly before returning to the crowd. Her relief at not having been noticed is short lived when she catches sight of a servant with an eerie resemblance to the very woman who consumes her thoughts.

She tries to ignore the rising panic she feels, her expression perfectly blank - if you weren't bothered to look hard enough, to see the alarm within the eyes that trail the figure who weaves almost effortlessly throughout the crowd, fitting in with those who surround her despite masquerading as the help.

When the blonde retreats from the room, Regina excuses herself without a second thought to the trouble it may provoke from the King and quickly descends the daïs to follow after her.

Failing to notice the open door she passes on her way to the kitchens, she let's out a surprised gasp as someone grabs hold of her wrist and pulls her into the room. She hears the door close a moment later and she spins on her assailant, all words and thoughts dying on her tongue as she comes face to face with mischievous green eyes and cheeks that dimple with Emma's smirk.

"Hi."

Regina's silence doesn't last long and before she can stop herself, she extends her hand and slaps the smirk from the blonde's face, her voice an angry whisper as she glares at the woman now cradling her cheek in the palm of her hand. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is risking your life on a daily basis by hunting bandits not enough excitement for you or are you just this stupid?"

The underlying concern beneath Regina's scowl is enough to still Emma's natural instinct to retaliate, though it doesn't stop her from rolling her eyes as she rubs her cheek. "You said you would give me an answer and you haven't, it's been almost a week now and all you've done is avoid me."

"So you thought you'd sneak into the castle, disguised as a servant to – what? Force me into making a decision?"

It's Emma's turn to scowl, the very idea of taking someone's choice from them is enough to make her anger surge. "I snuck into the castle because it was the only way to see you!"

Regina deflated instantly. "Oh."

Irritated with the way she simply blurted it out there like that when she had no intention to admit it in the first place, Emma huffs as she averts her eyes from Regina's guilt-stricken expression and asks, "Since you brought it up, _have _you made a choice?"

Surrendering to the fact they were going to have this conversation now, whether she wants to or not, Regina sighs before moving to a chair and sitting down. "We haven't even talked about it."

Emma groans as she falls into the seat beside her. "And who's fault is that?"

"Mine." Regina admits with a soft smile. "I shouldn't have left like I did. You took me by surprise and I didn't know what to do, so I ran and then I spent all this time avoiding you because I still don't know."

"Is this because you don't want him.." Emma trails off when Regina shakes her head before she can even finish.

"I do, I just don't think it's worth the price."

Emma frowns. "Price? I didn't-"

"Your life. You'll be risking your life and I don't want to ask that of you. We barely know each other and I'm having a hard time understanding why you offered to begin with. I'm no one to you. I'm not even your Queen. In your eyes, I am no different from any other." Regina looks away when she says the last part, not wanting Emma to see the disappointment that comes from her belief of the statement.

"I hate royalty." It was such an odd comment to make that Regina can't help turning back to the blonde, her confusion evident as she stares blankly.

"Ever since I can remember, I've loathed people of nobility. You're right, you're not my Queen but you are _a _Queen and you're wrong about being different." Emma stands as she dismisses the curious stare directed her way, knowing she was expected to elaborate. " I haven't figured any of this out, I understand less about any of this than you do. All I know is you're not like others, not to me and I extended the offer because it felt like the right thing to do."

Emma comes to stand in front of her, looking down at her and watching the way hands nervously fidget as Regina keeps her gaze trained on her lap. "Accept my offer and in two weeks time, I promise you'll be free of him."

Every fibre of her being is screaming at her to accept but still her doubts prevent her from doing so. Regina swallows, pushing away the desire to assent and she raises her head. "You could be caught, you could be killed for doing this for me. I can't - I won't be responsible for that."

"Your conscience will serve you well as a ruler but you are no more than a slave, Regina. You are muzzled, controlled by the chains others have placed around your neck - I am giving you the key and you are refusing to use it." Emma face contorts with a sneer. "Tell me, is it truly because you fear for me or is it because you like being a puppet?"

Regina shoots to her feet and shoves Emma in the chest, blind to the twitch of pale lips as she growls. "How dare you!" she falters when a throaty chuckle sounds from Emma's throat.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Emma grins as she steps closer, invading Regina's personal space while she continues to goad her. "Would you like to call your master? Have him throw me in the dungeon – or perhaps you'd like to skip straight to the chopping block?"

"You're just like the rest of them. I don't do as you want, so you turn on me." When she brushes passed Emma to get to the door, she's brought to an abrupt stop by a hand grabbing her wrist once more.

"I am _nothing_ like them.."

Torn between anger and sadness, Regina is silent but remains still when Emma releases her, sensing there was more.

"Risking my life - that is my decision and mine alone. You're afraid that I will be punished yet you fail to realise that his death will mean more than your freedom. You would be the first Queen to rule without a King within the Enchanted Forest, you could bring about so much change and better the lives of so many if you let go of your doubts."

Emma hesitantly reaches out her hand to lay on Regina's shoulder and when it isn't immediately shrugged off, she turns Regina around to face her. "I offered, not only to free you but to free all of us. You're not the only one who suffers under the rule of men like him."

Regina sighs and looks to her sadly. As much as she would like to be the person Emma seems to think she can be, she's all too familiar with the way the world works and not nearly as naïve as others believe. "They will insist that I marry another. I am accustomed to Leopold, I don't know that I would survive another marriage."

"Better the evil you know than the one you don't, I get that but I'm not suggesting you swap one collar for another. Whether others like it or not, you _are _the Queen – they cannot force you to do what they want and if they try, I won't let them."

The way Emma's eyes harden and the determination in her voice is enough to spread warmth all through Regina, causing a small smile to grace her lips even though her mind still has reservations. "That's assuming you survive."

"If everything goes according to plan, I will." Emma shrugs without elaborating, hiding her smirk behind her hand with a fake yawn as she sees the curiosity seep into Regina's eyes.

"When?" Regina purses her lips at the amused chuckle that comes from the blonde, refusing to acknowledge the excitement that laced her question.

"Two weeks, during the Great Hunt."

As small as the revelation was, it was enough to appease Regina's fear of putting Emma's life in danger. If the last two Hunts she attended were a normal occurrence, then Emma had grasped the perfect opportunity to rid the kingdom of its King.

Regina's smile blossoms fully and Emma grins knowingly.

"I accept your offer, Sheriff."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: **Definitely make note of the warnings from the first chapter when it comes to this one.

* * *

Regina smiles brightly as she walks, the sounds of children laughing filtering through the village like music to her ears. Little feet pounding against stones as they run about, howling into the air while wearing their wolf-shaped masks and fur hoods. She's been dreading this day for the past two weeks but in this moment, surrounded by an overwhelming amount of childish merriment, she can – for a brief moment - forget the feelings of hopelessness and guilt that churns her stomach.

For the rest of the day, she is free of the responsibilities that come with both being the Queen, as well as a wife – a true reason to celebrate, rather than this festival which promotes the pointless slaughter of the wolves.

Were it not for Snow White's seemingly constant and uncontrollable need to chatter aimlessly, she could almost ignore the girls presence and enjoy the day even more. Alas, Regina is stuck with the obnoxious little vexation until boredom takes its hold and lures the girl away, hopefully to fall down a well somewhere.

Until then, she is content to tune out the mind-numbingly painful sound of her voice and pretend Clive is her only company.

While she wanders the market square, she makes a mental note to ensure this day becomes naught but a memory of the past once she is the sole ruler in the Kingdom, an act she is certain will please few within the realm but one she will be sure to enforce as the cruelty of man is no cause for celebration.

Naturally her train of thought leads her to thinking about Emma and she wonders where the blonde is, unable to help the feeling of sadness that accompanies the thought since she hasn't seen the woman for two weeks. As if merely thinking of her is the way to summon her, Regina glances across the square at the sound of a familiar laugh and spots the blonde curls.

* * *

"I am seriously beginning to question asking for your help if this is how well you aim." Emma laughs as she watches yet another ball fail to hit its mark.

Graham grins and shakes his head. "You and I both know these games are rigged."

Snatching the last ball from his hand, Emma closes her eyes and tosses it into the air, opening them just as it falls straight into the wolf's open maw.

Smugness written all over her face, she feigns agreement. "You're right, it's totally rigged," and she ducks down with a laugh when he tries to smack her around the head.

The moment is soon lost when his expression changes and she frowns, turning her head to follow his line of sight over her shoulder. She spins around when she see's the Queen approaching, Clive and a dejected looking Snow White trailing behind her.

"Regina." she greets, just as Graham bows and says, "Your Majesty."

Snow White tilts her head, giving Emma a once-over before a look of self-righteous scorn morphs her features and she attempts to correct the blonde woman. "You shouldn't refer to the Queen by name, you're just a lowly peasant."

Emma ignores the fact Regina is trying to stifle her laughter by placing a hand over her mouth and she stares blankly at the girl, a devious grin slowly forming on her lips as she speaks just above a whisper. "You should watch your tongue, you never know if the next person you talk down to is the one who'll cut it out."

"Emma!" Clive admonishes as Snow's eyes widen and she hides behind the Queen. "You will not speak to the Princess like that."

She growls as she glares at him. "I will speak to the rude little shit however I like."

Clearing her throat, Regina turns to him and Snow with a fake smile. "Clive, take the Princess and wander around for a bit while I -." she glances to Emma with a smirk. "- reprimand the Sheriff for her bad behaviour."

Once they were both far enough away, Regina releases the laugh she had held back with Snow present before she surprises Emma and loops her arm through the blonde's, still chuckling softly as she says, "We need to talk."

Remembering Graham, Emma looks to excuse herself only to frown when she finds the spot where he should be standing empty and Regina speaks again. "He slipped away when I dismissed Clive."

Emma nods distractedly, her attention drawn to the hand that lightly grasps her bicep as Regina leads them out of the square and away from the festivities.

As Emma slowly adapts to the closeness of the Queen and the contact, her brain threatens to short-circuit when Regina begins tracing the muscles in her arm with the pad of her thumb. She tenses briefly and the movement ceases but the moment she relaxes, it starts again. She side glances Regina, thinking perhaps she's doing it on purpose, but the woman appears oblivious to the confusion she's causing.

Clearing her throat, Emma tries to ignore the feeling by distracting herself with conversation. "So, where are we going?"

Regina lifts her shoulders slightly in a shrug. "The stable is this way, though I hadn't exactly planned our destination."

Even more confused, Emma forces them to a stop and turns to the brunette with a frown. "Do we really need to talk or am I being used as a means of escape from your darling step-daughter?"

Scowling at being referred to as a relation of the Princess, Regina snaps. "I could hardly announce that I wanted to be whisked away from that annoyance where everyone could overhear." averting her eyes from the blonde, she adds more softly. "Besides, can it not be both? I haven't seen you since your great escape from the castle."

Chewing her lower lip, Emma resumes their walk without replying. The more time she spends around the Queen, the less sure of herself she becomes and that same lack of certainty also applies to their developing relationship. She had never intended to befriend the woman - not having any clue as to who she was when they first met was evidence enough of that but, when it came to helping her in whatever capacity is required, Emma can't seem to stop herself.

Once they come upon the stables, Emma leads Regina to one of the hay bales and waits for her to sit before lowering herself to the ground in front of her. Due to the numerous others bales surrounding them, the action receives a curious lift of an eyebrow and Emma smirks as she says, "Did you not hear? I'm a lowly peasant- unfit to think myself equal to a Queen, so I must sit upon the ground at your feet and revel in my peasantness."

With a shake of her head, Regina smiles at her antics. "Not that you wouldn't make a fine peasant, but we both know that isn't how I think of you."

Emma's mouth opens, only to close a moment later when she realises she has no idea how to respond to that and frowns. Truthfully, she has no idea what the Queen thinks of her. In fact she didn't really know what anyone thinks of her because usually, she didn't care but she finds that she's genuinely curious about it now and she supposes it's that curiosity that makes her ask, "How do you think of me?"

Without so much as a second of hesitation or thought, Regina admits. "Inappropriately, most of the time." and it isn't until Emma's eyes widen that she realises how that sounded before she hurries to explain. "You can hardly blame me, ninety-five percent of the time we meet, you're either half-naked or in some compromising position – or both."

When what feels like lead finally lifts from her stomach, Emma shifts uncomfortably on the ground and quickly thinks over all their meetings in the past. She's already nodding her agreement by the time she's remembered half of them, there was definitely a reoccurring pattern of almost-naked incidents involving Regina walking in on her, or her having to remove some form of clothing for one reason or another.

"Yeah, I can't argue with that." she laughs, somewhat sheepishly and she feels her cheeks flush as she notices Regina grinning at her.

"I've never seen you blush before." Regina continues to grin, which only causes Emma to turn even redder.

Lowering her gaze, Emma covers her face with her hands and shakes her head. This was starting to get ridiculous and she had no idea how to stop it from continuing. While she could admit to herself that she didn't really want it to, knowing Regina is simply being friendly only makes matters worse.

After a few minutes where neither of them speak, Regina leans forward and reaches out to one of the hands still covering Emma's face, tugging her wrist until the hand falls away to land in the blonde's lap.

"Are you okay?"

Emma can't help the laugh that escapes her at the conspiratory tone Regina uses; like they had just finished with some sinister plot and Emma is in the process of recovering from shock and not embarrassment. She laughs a little harder when the thought crosses her mind that there is a plot and that she'd be a lot more comfortable if they were discussing that.

Regina smiles at the sound, still unused to witnessing this side of Emma but the mild crease of her brow makes it obvious she's concerned at the same time which doesn't go unnoticed by the blonde.

"Don't worry, you didn't break me." Emma returns the smile and tries to explain without having to reveal certain things she isn't, and probably never will be, ready to share with the Queen. "It's just the way you asked, like my unusual behavior is some sort of secret abnormality and if you spoke too loud someone might overhear and accuse us of scheming – which we could be because.. you know."

"Ah." Regina sighs at the reminder of her feelings from earlier. "Speaking of.."

Emma shakes her head and raises her hand, fairly sure she's about to receive some speech involving doubts. It wouldn't be the first time she's had to reassure someone and while there is no contract regarding this particular kill, it will happen regardless as Graham would be setting up around about now and it was too close to time.

"Whatever you're about to say, everything is already in place and I'm not going to tell you how to feel, but it's too late to back out now if you're having doubts.."

Regina releases a breath of relief. "Believe it or not, that actually helps to know."

* * *

Returning to the market with the Queen, Emma quickly finds Clive and feigns an image of a wounded puppy to make Snow think Regina had sufficiently scolded her and to make sure the nuisance doesn't blab about the mean blonde lady to anyone willing to listen; thankful that at the end of the day, she won't ever have to do so again since her actions won't mean possible harm to Regina.

When Emma hears the sounding of the horn that announces the King's arrival, she turns to the Queen and bows, surprising not only the brunette but herself and, unsure whether she had just shown the Queen respect or submission, Emma gives a nervous smile before she disappears into the slowly gathering crowd without so much as a farewell.

Quickly making her way to the edge of the forest, she puts aside her questions regarding the Queen and raises fingers to her mouth. She let's forth a sharp whistle into the air and within seconds, she starts her run through the trees as she receives Graham's answering whistle that let's her know everything is in place.

Removing her jerkin and stripping down to her undershirt, Emma tosses her clothing into the brush and pulls a square of black cloth from the belt at her waist. Gathering her hair into a bun, she proceeds to use the cloth as a bandana and wraps it around her head. Not skipping any precautions, she bends down and gathers up a handful of mud, spreading it over every inch of visible flesh to make it harder for anyone to spot her from her chosen hiding place.

Setting down into the brush with her clothes, time seems to pass her by and day fast becomes night. It isn't too long after last light that the sounds of men can be heard not far off from where she is, and she only hopes that it's the King and not a group of bandits.

She can see the light of their lanterns moving closer, illuminating their surroundings and she feels her excitement growing when she spots Leopold flanked by a pitiful number of guards. She makes a note to constantly remind Regina of hidden dangers so that she never becomes as arrogant as this, and frowns before shaking the thought from her head.

It was hardly the time to be thinking of the Queen.

"Over there!"

When she hears the shout, she assumes Graham has released his wolf to lure them in and the humanoid-howl that follows and causes the hunting party to stop right in front of her confirms the assumption.

The first three arrows to fly from the trees in rapid succession are all aimed towards the Guards, two of which fatally wound while the third disarms; not that it matters since none of them would be leaving the forest alive. Emma launches herself from where she hides, quickly moving in to finish off the lone guard by sheathing her sword within his back and straight into his heart, killing him instantly.

Leopold manages to recover from the shock of the attack but barely takes a step before a fourth arrow is let loose, easily tearing through his flimsy armour and burying itself within his ribs while Emma returns to her hiding place to retrieve the axe she'd asked Graham to bring specifically with the King in mind.

When he remains on his feet, Emma looks to where she knows Graham to be and raises her hand, signalling for another arrow which soon punctures his thigh.

Even as the poison spreads and his skin slowly pales, he still stands and a growl rumbles within her chest. Emma stalks forward, teeth bared as she extends her leg and slams her boot into his knee, relishing the sound of his cry and the snapping of bones as he falls to the ground.

Paying no mind to his whimpers, words begin to slip from her lips as the anger abates and she spills her thoughts freely for his ears. "You know I was going to stop the poison by removing each of your limbs before it spread too far, but then I decided you'd likely die from the blood loss and that seemed a little too.. fast, for what you deserve."

Pulling a knife from her belt, she tests the sharpness and her smile widens at the brief sting it causes when it pierces her finger. "I'm told the experience of suffering through dreamshade is rather excruciating, moreso depending on the amount in your system." she pauses to lick the blood from the tip of her finger before she continues. "The death itself is a little disappointing though, the way your throat constricts as you're wracked with spasms of overwhelming pain."

As if on cue, Leopold's body starts to convulse and Emma flings her knife at his left wrist, pinning it to the ground and watching his mouth fall open to release his silent screams. "See what I mean? I can't even hear how much this hurts and you have at least another five minutes of it to endure – such a shame."

The poison starts to make itself known on the visible parts of his skin in the form of dark purple, almost blackened streaks. Bringing forth an artistic representation of the network of veins that exist within every individual – noble or peasant - beautiful to behold in the moonlight that bathes them with a hint of silver.

"Your Kingdom will be better off without you." she muses out loud, needing to fill the silence with something, even with the pain that shines clearly in his expression, a quiet death feels too much like a peaceful one. "Men think they're the only ones capable to rule, the only ones who will do what needs to be done to keep order, to take the necessary steps to offer those they consider worthy of decent lives. I'm going to assume that at this very moment, you're reconsidering those beliefs and in time, others will too."

Tilting her head back, she looks up at the sky before closing her eyes and numbers slowly tick over in her mind as she counts the time that passes.

_Make certain he is aware that I know of his downfall before it occurs._

Emma chuckles breathlessly, the memory of Regina's hatred for Leopold in combination with the stillness of the night – minus the thrashing by her feet – lends a certain amount of tranquility to the moment.

Opening her eyes, Emma looks down into his and delivers that last request as she raises the axe. "The Queen will show the people what we women are capable of, starting with your divorce."

She releases a cold laugh as she swings down, savoring the way his gaze widens - first in terror and then with realisation - all in the brief few seconds it takes for the blade to fall and slice cleanly through his neck.

Immediately she drops to her knees and starts to hack away at the corpse of the King, systematically removing each of his limbs, beginning with his arms which she halves at the elbows after removing them at the shoulder. When she moves on to his legs, Graham appears holding two large sacks which he uses to gather the pieces after binding them to prevent the blood from soaking through, not wanting to leave a trail of blood for the inevitable search and rescue that will surely follow in the days to come.

While his guards would be found dismembered in the same way, it would be made to look as though the King had been taken prisoner after they were killed. No doubt the Kingdom would blame the attack on the bandits and demand justice, as well as answers to the King's whereabouts; neither would they receive. If the Queen orders the bandits eradicated from the forest - which she will as to appear distraught over his death – the people will assume justice where there is none while their King rots beneath the earth.

Once Emma is done with Leopold and Graham has collected all the pieces, they move on to the guards; first dragging them to where their King had been and removing the arrows – as well as Emma's sword from the smaller one's back - before repeating the gruesome procedure, only this time less specific of what they remove with the intent of making it appear brutal enough for all the blood to have come solely from them and nothing more.

When they finish, Emma can barely lift her arms, so Graham takes the axe and throws the heaviest sack over his shoulder, leaving the much lighter one for her to carry once she's retrieved everything from her hiding place.

"Food and water?" she asks, looking up at him as she buttons her jerkin.

He nods, patting the satchel hanging at his side with the flat of the axe. "Should be enough to last the walk to the cave."

Nodding, she picks up her sword and lifts the other sack. "Let's get going then, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Where is she?!" Regina snarls as soon as Clive enters the room, unconcerned that he had yet to close the door behind him, incapable of worrying that someone may wander by and overhear when she is too caught up in her panic over Emma not having returned yet.

"She is supposed to be here! Instead she disappears, leaving me with these.. these imbeciles!" she paces back and forth as she rants, her anger only growing with every word she utters while a little voice in the back of her mind tells her that she should have known better than to trust anyone, to believe the blonde would return to her and protect her from the power-hungry vultures that have already gathered.

Clive reaches for her, to try to calm her down but she rebuffs his attempt with a sneer. "I swear if she doesn't show her face, I will have her hunted down and executed for this."

"My Queen, she _will _return." Clive implores her to listen to reason. He knows his niece better than anyone and there is absolutely no doubt in his mind that Regina's trust in Emma was not misplaced. "If she planned to leave for good then she would have told someone and anyone that I can think of that she trusts was told nothing."

He is confident that she'll return, his only concern was whether it would be before or after the Queen did something he's almost certain she'll regret.

His words do nothing to tamper her anger though and her blood continues to boil beneath the surface. She can feel her magic slowly gathering as well, itching for a release of some kind and she clenches her fists to dampen the tingle at her fingertips. Losing control of her voice, she's shouting as she continues to pace the floor. "He has been missing all of three days and they're already trying to marry me off to someone else!"

"She promised to protect me!" her voice cracks and it is that; the thought of yet another promise being broken that ends up drowning out the anger and as she falls to the floor with a sob, Clive erases the distance between them in mere seconds and sinks down behind her, gathering her in his arms and holding her close as she cries.

The voice, the one telling her she was foolish to believe, to trust another; it returns with a vengeance. Only this time it's the voice of her mother, telling her how weak she is, how pathetic and unbecoming it is to show her emotions.

But then there's Clive and his voice is much louder, slithering into her mind and soothing her as comfort had somehow become part of his role over the last couple of months since meeting his infuriating niece.

Sometimes when she closes her eyes and listens, he sounds so much like her father. His tone full of such warmth that it takes her mind to another place where she imagines experiencing a better, happier life than the one reality provides her. Images as vivid and as real as the memories of her past, despite never having happened. She can picture herself galloping in a meadow with her father alongside her; his laughter at the sheer childish joy she exudes only when she rides is like a balm to her heart, her mind, the very depths of her soul.

Her tears are silent now.

Forgotten is the misplaced anger and irrational sense of betrayal that the thoughts of Emma bring, replaced by her mourning for a father lost and a life she could never have.

And somehow Clive knows. He senses the change and his whispers fade until the only sounds left are those of their breathing. Hers; ragged and sometimes hitching while his remains steady as he merely tightens his hold and continues to comfort her.

* * *

Emma and Graham took two days to reach their destination, a third to find the Den of the Manticore where they awaited its departure before disposing of Leopold's body within.

It wasn't until they emerged from the cave entrance that they stumbled into the ambush.

They managed to dispatch some but more appeared out of the forest to overwhelm them and upon seeing three men surrounding Graham, one of those advancing on Emma got in a lucky shot to her head, stunning her long enough to pry the sword out of her hands and sweep her legs out from underneath her; a flash of pain accompanying the shock of her back connecting with the unforgiving ground.

She curses herself for allowing the distraction as she backs away from the two bearing down on her, sliding along the ground on her ass while she tries to free one of the knives strapped to her thigh.

Just as she curls her fingers around the handle, one of them grabs her ankle and twists before dragging her forward. She tries to kick out with her other foot but it only results in losing the mobility of both, causing her to thrash against the grip before the second one throws himself on top of her to keep her still.

"Emma!" Graham shouts from somewhere to her left and she can hear the increased speed and power of his attacks as he swings her axe with more urgency.

It's obvious that he's starting to panic and she knows if he doesn't stop worrying about her, he's likely to make a mistake and get himself killed.

Her pulse speeds up when the distinct sound of a belt loosening reaches her ears and as a hand clumsily gropes at her chest she manages to free one of her own from beneath the body on top of her.

The familiar heat of her blood lust surges in the pit of her stomach and sends a wave of white-hot rage through her veins, an animalistic snarl tearing from her throat as she extends her fist and slams it into the side of the man's head, her lips curling in pleasure at the sound of his neck snapping before she shoves his body off of her in an inhuman display of strength.

Her second attacker wastes no time in trying to save himself but when he attempts to stab his sword down into her head, she rolls away from the blow and pushes herself on to her knees. Drawing the dagger she had tried to free earlier from its sheath, she relishes his strangled scream and the blood pouring out over her hand as she shoves the blade between his legs and twists.

When he drops to the ground, she releases her hold on the blade and allows it to fall with him as she turns to where she'd last seen Graham and finds him bent over, clutching at his ribs and covered in blood.

She covers the distance to him in a matter of seconds, worry etched across her face as she places a hand on his back. "Are you alright?"

He tries to smile reassuringly but she sees straight through him and drops to her knees once more. "You better not fucking die on me, Graham."

His laugh turns into a pained groan before he shakes his head. "Few scrapes and bruises, a broken rib or two. The blood is.. mostly theirs."

She breathes a sigh of relief and nods before she begins to tug at the laces holding his tunic together, carefully pulling them apart while he remains bent over. As soon as the last is undone, he slips the less weakened of his two arms through and allows her to pull it down the other.

"Can you raise your arms?" she asks as she discards the leather and stands.

He lifts his gaze from the ground to look at her and his brow creases as he notices the cut along her cheek, concern for his own injuries coming second to hers. "You're bleeding."

She glances down and follows his line of sight with her hand, pressing it against her cheek and pulling it away when she feels the wet warmth of her blood. With a chuckle, she shrugs her shoulders before wiping the hand on her pants. "That'll leave a neat scar. Now, answer the question. Arms, yes or no?"

He shakes his head no while he continues to frown but she takes no notice of it as she unsheathes yet another of her knives and slides it beneath the collar of his shirt, dragging it cautiously down his back and freeing him from the cloth so that she can get to his wounds.

Giving his back the once over, she can see that none of the cuts are all that deep but with a risk of infection without a healer, she reaches for the satchel containing the last of their water anyway and uses what remains of the shirt to clean them as best she can.

"There's not much I can do for your ribs since wrapping them would only prevent you from breathing and possibly cause one or both of your lungs to collapse." she says as she tosses the now ruined cloth over her shoulder and steps away from him.

"Well you did promise your plan wouldn't involve one of us dying, so thanks for that."

Without needing to see his face, she knows by his response that he's grinning like the fool that he is and she rolls her eyes. "You may want to hold off on the thanks until we get home, I doubt those were the only ones we'll come across... and we're out of water."

* * *

Entering the throne room two days later, Regina takes the seat of the former King and the room falls into a brief, blissful moment of silence before the voices start again, peasants and nobleman alike scandalized that she would dare stake her claim as ruler by sitting upon the throne. She can feel her anger rising upon seeing the looks of disdain thrown her way - that these people would deny her rights simply because she is a woman, that they would try to force her into marrying another just so that they would have a King to sit in her place all for the sake of some absurd, centuries-old tradition - incensed her.

Clive stands at her side, ready to defend her with his life should the need arise, joined by those of her former Guard who retain some sense of loyalty to her even though none of them are aware of her intentions.

She waits patiently for them to quiet again but it only occurs when a voice calls out from somewhere in the crowd. "What is the meaning of this?"

It takes her less than a minute to find the one responsible and a smile comes to her lips. "Is there a problem you'd like to bring to my attention, George?"

He growls as he pushes people out of his way and comes to stand before the daïs, scowling up at her with contempt. "That is _King _George and my _problem _is that a woman is sitting where she does not belong."

"Oh?" she raises an eyebrow as she smirks. "Is this not where the current ruler of the Enchanted Forest sits?"

"You are no ruler!" he barks, his face turning beet red.

Feigning disinterest and boredom, she rolls her eyes and proceeds to remove non-existent dirt from under her fingernails as she speaks. "My husband is currently missing, the Princess is too young to marry and therefore ineligible for the Crown. I am the _only_ ruler, George_._" she looks up as she deliberately refuses to use his title and smiles sweetly down at him.

By that point he is seething, his teeth tightly clenched as he grinds out his next words. "We have been here for four days now discussing your marriage to another, as you very well know."

Emma's voice echoes in her head, reminding her that she is the Queen and despite the whims of these men, she always has a choice. Inwardly, she hopes that the blonde will return and keep her promise. On the outside, her eyes narrow and the smile turns to a mocking grin. "And touched as I am by your concern for the lack of warmth in my bed, your efforts are for naught and I have absolutely no intention of remarrying."

"Then you will step down and renounce your title so that a new King may take your place." he lurches forward as he spits the command, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of a sword at his throat.

"How dare you! I am a King!" George sputters when he overcomes his shock-induced speechlessness.

"And she is the Queen of the Enchanted Forest." Clive growls, his sword unwavering and more than willing to behead the man where he stood. "You are at a disadvantage, King George. This is her land and we are sworn to protect her against a threat; I advise you stand down before you force my hand."

"You are making a very big mistake, Regina." George warns as he steps back slowly, his eyes darting to the tip of the weapon before he returns to glaring at the Queen.

"Perhaps." she rises from her throne as she concedes, knowing full well that this decision could end up resulting in her death. "But it will be a mistake that I chose, one that hasn't been forced upon me and one that I will gladly pay the price; whatever that may be."

Another steps forward when she finishes speaking, his voice unfamiliar but his face she is sure she's seen around a time or two in the company of a certain blonde. "I am inclined to side with the Queen, King George. Even if King Leopold is dead, which may I point out none of us have any proof of, there is nothing in our Law that states a Queen must remarry."

George turns his back to the Queen, his earlier anger at her returning as he addresses the man who had spoken. "You are not even from this realm, pirate! What right do you have to spout about the Laws of this land?"

The leather-clad man laughs, clearly unaffected by the King's rage as his voice is laced with amusement. "You mean as someone who resides here and must abide by said Laws? While you, a ruler of another Kingdom, think you're entitled to demand the Queen step down."

Coming to the front of the room where King George fumes in front of the Queen and her Guard, the man smirks and continues. "You come and go freely as you please because of a truce, signed by a King that is apparently no more. I, however, live here."

Beckoning Clive back to her side, Regina leans in to whisper as she watches the men who continue to bicker in front of her. "Who is that man?"

"Killian Jones, Majesty - also known as Captain Hook." his own voice whispers the response, his sword lowered but still gripped tightly in his hand.

Straightening her spine, Regina interrupts what had started to deteriorate into a strange pissing contest between the two. "Mister Jones, I wish to speak with you in my chambers at once." she turns to another of her guard and inclines her head. "Landen, please show him the way."

As he steps forward to follow her order, she returns her attention to George and all others gathered. "You are all more than welcome to stay and enjoy yourselves. I wish those of you returning to your own lands in the morning, safe travels and a fond farewell -"

She pauses to direct a smirk toward the loud-mouthed King and adds, "- Or not." before descending the daïs with the rest of her Guard close behind as they depart the throne room.

* * *

Throwing open the doors to her chambers, Regina saunters into the room and dismisses Landen with a nod toward the halls where the rest of the guards stand. "Clive, choose another to join you and have someone draw up a roster so we know who is and is not loyal to me. Then -" she pauses for a second and tilts her head in thought, unsure of the specific duties meant for each guard.

With a reminder to herself to learn all that she would need to, she shakes her head. "Just make sure they're doing their jobs."

Clive resists the urge to smile at her uncertainty and gives a shallow bow. With a quiet, "Yes, my Queen." he pulls the doors closed and leaves her to converse with the pirate.

"I can help you with that."

Killian stands from the settee where he had awaited the Queen and when she turns to him with her eyebrow raised, he smiles and gestures to those beyond the doors. "The loyalty business. Clive is a rather capable man, but his dealing in subterfuge and intrigue is somewhat lacking."

"A generous offer, I'm sure." she drawls, moving further into the room until they're standing only inches apart. "Not, however, why I wished to speak with you."

He inclines his head and takes a few steps back, allowing her to take her seat before he returns to his own. "I gathered as much. I assume this has something to do with a certain blonde who has a penchant for all things.. bloody."

"Yes." she says, her tone displaying her displeasure at the thought of being so predictable.

Neither of them say anything for several seconds, then when she finally does, her voice is low and controlled. "Do you know where she is?"

"I'm afraid I know very little." he replies, unperturbed by her mood shifts. "I do know that she planned to be gone at least a week, she also requested that if I came upon an opportunity to aid you, that I do so."

Although both had come and gone within the blink of an eye and a less observant individual would have been oblivious, he doesn't miss the way her eyes soften, nor the slight upward tilt of her lips.

"Why did she not tell me she would be gone so long?"

Reaching into the pocket on the inside of his coat, Killian retrieves the letter he'd found upon entering his home after he returned from Neverland and holds it out for her to take. As she reaches for it, he explains. "While I was away on a trip, she broke into my house to borrow._. _a rather rare item of mine, this is one of the two notes she left behind."

As she's about to open it, he clears his throat to stop her. "You may wish to read that when no one else is present and I apologise for having done so, but I had no way of knowing who it was meant for without looking at it."

When he receives no response beyond another curious lift of an eyebrow, he elaborates. "She's mentioned a certain piece of information in there that would be rather dangerous for you should anyone else learn of it."

Her eyes widen with understanding and it takes her a moment before she can piece two words together. "And this.. information, she left out in the open where anyone could find it?"

He shakes his head with a laugh. "Of course not, both messages were coded so that only I would understand them and I translated yours before coming here, which brings me to the opportunity I referred to earlier."

"Oh?" she smirks. "I assumed that was what your showdown in the throne room was about."

"King George is a pompous moron with a superiority complex." he dismisses with a distasteful look. "What I'm referring to is the rampant disloyalty among those who are meant to serve you, not to mention the alliances that are likely to crumble now that Leopold is no longer.. present and don't think your speech is going to deter everyone from trying to marry you off."

Knowing he was right, she does the only thing she can and decides to hear him out. "And what would you suggest I do?"

"First, I think we should hold a tournament." Killian replies, casually leaning back in his seat to watch the range of emotions that play across her expression; from confusion to curiosity.

"For what purpose?" she asks.

"To determine who you'll marry, of course."

"Did I not make myself clear?" she snaps. "I will not be -"

"Marrying anyone." he interrupts her smoothly. "You know that, I know that but everyone else will see it as a compromise and when your own Champion wins the tournament, you can claim fair chance for all those dashing, eligible men and reaffirm the fact you will remain Queen without a King."

Regina regards him thoughtfully. As far as plans go, it certainly wasn't a terrible one but she has attended a few tournaments in her time and she knows the capability of some of the fighters that reside in the other Kingdoms, which meant she would need someone of a much higher skill than any of her available Guard.

"Who do you propose would fight for me?"

With a knowing smile, he sits forward. "Are you familiar with what is known as a Fury?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Note: **Thought you people might be interested in the note Emma left for Regina, so that's first.

* * *

_Regina,_

_ I apologise for leaving without telling you that I would be gone for a while._

_ I wanted to but I received a visitor sometime last week that made it clear to me that someone had been keeping tabs on you - hopefully Killian does a decent enough job in explaining what I mean. I took care of the visitor and his _friend_, but I have no doubt there are more of them, so I've requested in my letter to him that he assist you with that._

_ We're taking _him _to a cave on the border between the Enchanted Forest and Desolation Plains, it's a fairly long walk between here and there, so I'll probably be gone a week at least._

_ There are some ideas I have, about what happens next, if the people give you too much trouble. Although I wouldn't be opposed to offing George and Midas, they could use a little less head on their shoulders, the entitled jackasses._

_ We can talk when I get back._

_ Oh, ask Killian about Furies if he hasn't mentioned them yet, my little secret for you._

_ ES _

* * *

A Fury, as it turns out, is a rare breed of fighter who possesses an unmatched prowess in combat.

When Killian had first mentioned them, Regina had no clue about what he was referring to, so he'd spent the following hour of that evening explaining who these people are and she listened with rapt attention, fascinated to learn of these mysterious and rather violent people.

According to the tale he wove based on these stories of legend - the Avatar of Vengeance, also known as Tisiphone, bestowed her powers upon a select few of mortal kind before she sealed herself, along with her two sisters, inside the deepest, blackest abyss of a place called Tartarus. If the stories are to be believed, then the powers granted to the Furies provide them with an innate ability known as Blood Rage which imbues them with increased speed, strength and agility while they fight; a skill that is only accessible by giving in to their anger.

She had questions, of course. Some he could answer, other's he could not but what intrigued her the most about these warriors was the fact that no men existed among their ranks. It seemed strange to her, considering the raw power of the average male, not to mention the long-held belief that man is power. Naturally it would have made more sense, at least to her, for the Furies to be entirely male and when she put forth the observation to him, he smiled and shrugged.

"They're like Amazons." he had said – except she had never heard of these Amazons before either and when she had informed him of such, it resulted in an entirely new conversation between them.

Needless to say, Regina learned far more from a pirate than she would ever have thought possible, which caused an unquenchable thirst to learn more. It wasn't an unusual desire since she has spent her whole life in pursuit of one form of knowledge or another; history, etiquette, magic and so on. It was, however, wholly inconvenient at the moment considering she has a tournament to announce and prepare for.

"My Queen."

She startles at the sudden voice that intrudes on her musings and her head snaps in the direction it came from, her eyes landing upon a guard she has yet to recall the name of as he hesitantly steps through the open doors.

When he comes to a stop and kneels as expected, she crumples the letter in her hand and tosses it upon the fire. Motioning for him to rise with a wave of her hand, she silently gestures for him to get on with whatever message he thought urgent enough to invade the privacy of her quarters.

He gives a small bow of his head before he begins, "Clive had informed the Guard that you wished immediate notification should any of us catch sight of the woman known as the Sheriff."

At the mention of Emma, she narrows her eyes and stands from her seat beside the hearth. "Am I to assume this means she has been seen?" she asks and upon his nod of confirmation, her entire countenance changes to one of irritation and she growls. "Then why hasn't she been brought to me, as I also requested?"

The man flinches and with a nervous, almost audible swallow, he replies. "She was with another and he was injured, when we attempted to bring her to you, she broke one of the guards hands and threatened to do the same to the rest if we didn't allow her to get him help."

"The Huntsman.." she whispers softly to herself as she feels a brief flutter of sympathy in the pit of her stomach. Pushing it, along with her questions aside, she focuses on him once more. "Where is Clive?"

"The Barracks, my Queen."

"Go, inform him that I demand his presence at once." without waiting to ensure that her command is immediately followed, she disappears inside her chamber to retrieve a cloak she would no doubt need at this time of night.

* * *

Emma paces back and forth outside the home of the village's healer, the concern for the man inside evident in the way she worries at her lower lip with her teeth, the crease of her brow seemingly a permanent fixture that time only deepens as it passes.

Every so often, she'll stop to glare at the guard whose hand hangs limply at his side, his mere presence only causing her irritation as it reminds her of the delay she had run into on her way here. Her hands would ball into fists the moment she began pacing again, as she had to physically resist launching herself the short distance between them so that she could cause him further injury.

Jaw clenching, she can barely restrain the shout that begs for release as she's unable to shake the image of Graham covered in what had been his own blood this time, and the memory of how stilted his breathing had become due to still-broken ribs that were likely worsened in the bandit attack that followed the first only a day later.

The sound of approaching footsteps deters none of this and even though she hears them, her gaze remains fixed upon the dirt as her boots scuff the ground with their tracks. It's the soft, feminine gasp that manages to gain her attention and upon recognising the Queen, she gives a tired smile; her eyes crinkling at the corners as the action irritates the cut on her cheek and causes a mild stab of pain.

"What happened?" Regina asks as she crosses the distance between them.

Emma's eyes dart to Clive and then the guard before returning to the brunette, whose question she dismisses with one of her own. "Why did you come here? It's the middle of the night."

Regina's brow rises in surprise, disbelieving that the woman actually sounded worried for her when she was the one standing there looking as though she'd been tied to a horse and dragged for some distance before she managed to free herself. Turning to the men present, she waves in the direction of the palace as she says, "Clive, take Duncan to the royal physician to get that hand seen to, then return here with Edmund as soon as he's done."

"Yes, my Queen." he bows before turning back toward the palace and beckoning for the other man to follow. "Come along, Duncan."

Knowing better than to argue in front of those the Queen commands, Emma waits until they're out of earshot before she clasps Regina by the shoulder and spins her back around, sounding slightly panicked as she whispers, "What are you doing? There could be a number of people who want you dead and you've just sent the only person who could protect you away."

"Killian told me what you are." Regina says as she brushes the hand from her shoulder.

Emma frowns, unsure as to the relevance of the comment. "Of course he did, I told him to."

Regina nods knowingly, smirking as she asks, "Would me being in danger not permit some of your anger? One of your ideas was to be my Champion, was it not?"

Eyes widen in realisation before narrowing and a snarl curls pale lips. "Do you not see this?" Emma growls, gesturing to her current state as she does so. "I have been stabbed multiple times, I have bruises over every inch of my damned body, I can barely keep myself from passing out and you expect me to be able to protect you."

Recalling the reaction she received the first and last time Regina had seen the physical effect the blood lust has on her, Emma averts her eyes and sighs in resignation as she asks, "Have you completely lost your mind?"

Reaching out a hand, Regina hooks Emma's jaw with her finger and persists with the pressure applied until the blonde's stubbornness relents and Emma returns her gaze.

Her reaction to the usual emerald eyes turned almost pitch-black is the same - with one minor difference; rather than excusing herself and fleeing from the sight and the heat it invokes within her veins, Regina remains, a small grin on her lips as she refuses to break eye contact and accepts the unbridled want she finds staring back at her.

"Regina.." Emma starts, only to be stopped by the finger that travels along her jaw and comes to rest on her lips, her words replaced with a low growl that starts in her chest as she grabs the Queen by the hips and pulls their bodies together. She groans in both frustration and pleasure as the move is done without resistance, Regina relaxing against her instantly and doing nothing to dissuade the desire coursing through her.

Seeing the hesitation and realising she could be waiting all night for her to give in, Regina slides her arms around Emma's neck and surges forward to claim soft lips with her own, moaning at the feel of fingers sinking into her hips and cutting off any chance of an escape that never even crossed her mind.

Emma effortlessly steals control of the kiss, squeezing the flesh beneath her hands and drawing a surprised gasp that she takes full advantage of as she slips her tongue between plump lips, eliciting simultaneous sounds of pleasure that merge and become one, long groan of approval.

Regina whimpers into Emma's mouth as teeth briefly nip her lower lip, sending a pool of liquid heat straight between her legs before the kiss resumes and as she threads a hand through blonde curls, Regina guides its twin over Emma's shoulder and down her chest to palm her breast through the thin, barely-there material of the blonde's shirt.

Slowly the realisation of what they were doing pierces the haze that encompasses Emma's mind, making way for a variety of conflicting feelings and thoughts - she needed to stop before it was too late, before the lust takes her over completely and forces her to do something they'd both regret in the end.

Without warning, the kiss is broken prematurely and Regina's eyes snap open, ready to voice the protest that dies instantly on her lips as she's greeted by the familiar emerald of Emma's confused and somewhat terrified stare.

"What's wrong?"

Emma raises an eyebrow as she releases her hold and takes a step back, incredulous that she is even considering answering when it is so glaringly obvious what is wrong with the entire situation but when Regina tilts her head with a clearly perplexed expression, Emma chooses to respond to the question. "You mean aside from the fact I almost committed a crime punishable by death.."

Confused, Regina shakes her head and asks, "What are you talking about?"

"I thought Killian told you about what I am." Emma snaps, frustration mounting at having to explain something she thought had already been taken care of.

"He did." is the response, an unsure lilt tacked on to the end.

Rubbing the tension from her brow, Emma sighs and starts to fill in what the pirate had apparently left out of their discussion. "There's a limit to how much control I can exert over the blood rage, I can focus how it's directed but once I've done that... it takes over and were I to cross that line in my current condition, I wouldn't be able to stop myself."

"Oh." Understanding now, Regina rolls her eyes and smirks. "Well who said I wanted you to stop in the first place?"

Emma grimaces and takes another step back when Regina makes a move to close the gap separating them, holding up a hand to dissuade her from trying again. "I could have hurt you and I wouldn't have cared until it was over, until there was nothing more I could do than apologise and beg for forgiveness."

"As..." she pauses to consider her next words carefully before she continues. "As much as I would like to, if we end up doing... this - I don't want that to be a part of it. I don't want to hurt you and I sure as hell wouldn't want to feel regret afterwards."

Hearing that she was interested and that it had nothing to do with why they stopped seemed to flip a switch in Regina's mind and, rather than focus on the disturbing implication, she smiles mischievously. "As much as you would like to?"

The smile widens into a full-blown grin when a blush spreads across Emma's cheeks, an amused chuckle escaping her lips as Emma lowers her head in embarrassment.

Moving forward again, she presses a finger beneath the blonde's chin and waits for her to raise her head before she leans close enough to teasingly whisper into her ear, "Woo me, Emma." laughing when Emma pushes her away and glares at her half-heartedly.

As her laughter subsides and a thinly veiled smile adorns Emma's lips, Regina heaves an exaggerated sigh before her grin returns. "On the bright side, I've already seen you naked."

"I hate you right now." Emma mutters, folding her arms with a huff and looking toward the palace as the sound of other voices fill the air seconds before Clive appears, followed by a significantly older man.

* * *

After two hours of watching the village healer and royal physician join forces to stitch up the Huntsman, Emma could barely keep her eyes open and though she had been adamant about not leaving him until he'd at least woken up, she was eventually ushered outside under the combined glares of her uncle and the Queen who then proceeded to bully her into returning to the Palace where she was given a spare room not far from the royal quarter to sleep away what little remained of the night.

It is that room, that Regina finds herself upon waking in a highly uncomfortable position and with a miserable groan, she pushes herself up from the chair where she'd fallen asleep only a few hours before and walks over to the bed where Emma quietly slumbers.

Careful not to wake her, Regina pulls back the blankets and slowly lifts the material of her shirt to inspect the bandage that covers almost the whole of Emma's torso, flinching at the memory of the wound beneath that will be forever imprinted in her mind.

"They had terrible aim." Emma murmurs softly, having stirred the moment she felt the cool air of the room caress her skin.

Regina smiles faintly as she lowers the shirt back down. "I take it they weren't trying to disembowel you with the sword then?"

"I'm not the most knowledgeable of people, but I'm fairly sure my heart isn't in my stomach." at the perfectly raised eyebrow, she elaborates. "One of them saw my eyes turn black and shouted something about stabbing me in the heart, his friend was somewhat off the mark."

Emma's eyes flutter briefly when she feels the tips of fingers lightly caress beneath the laceration on her cheek, watching as the emotion plays across the brunette's face. Anger and concern appear more prominently than any other and while she understands the latter, the former seems so out-of-place that when it makes its next appearance, Emma reaches up and strokes the furrowed brow with the pad of her thumb.

"Why are you angry?" she asks as her hand falls back to the bed.

The tournament.

From the moment the guard had come to her chamber with news of Emma's return, the tournament had weighed heavily upon Regina's mind and although the blonde had appeared injured and exhausted, it was only when she removed her shirt that Regina realised just how much damage had been done to her.

Emma hadn't lied when she said she was bruised all over, and the comment about being stabbed certainly held true. At the time Regina had thought the injuries were being exaggerated to make a point but she knew now, that if anything, Emma had understated rather skillfully.

Finally, after a few minutes of somewhat awkward silence, Regina raises her eyes from Emma's torso and she meets the emerald gaze. "Partly it's because this has been done to you, that someone could justify doing this to another person is.. barbaric."

At that, Emma chuckles before a flash of pain forces her to stop and she dismisses the sympathy offered in brown eyes. "I've done much worse to people, Regina. Don't forget who, or what I am just because I eventually have to pay the price for what I do."

Regina shakes her head. "This is one you wouldn't have paid if not for freeing me."

"Don't be naïve, you're smarter than that." Emma scolds, her tone softening as she continues. "Perhaps it wouldn't have been as bad, or maybe it would have been worse but at some point a price is demanded of people like me, one that is willingly paid for in blood, in pain, tears; whatever the cost extracted is more than worth what is given in return."

"And what did you get in return for making Queen more than just a title?"

"An opportunity." Emma replies without thought. "A chance to make a difference for others who are in the same boat as you were. In this world women are treated no better than slaves, as the possessions of men. If even a Queen can be assaulted by her husband without retribution, how do you think the rest of the women in your Kingdom are treated?"

Regina knows exactly what Emma means. There is very little in the way of equality between men and women, in this Kingdom or any other and although not all of the male species are tyrannical, abusive husbands and fathers, they were few and far between.

"A shame then, that I have no Champion for the tournament."

Emma's brow rises in question. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Regina gestures to where the blonde lays spread out. "You're injured and the tournament will be in less than a fortnight - there is no one else to take your place."

Emma breathes a sigh of relief. She had been worried for a second there, thinking Regina had changed her mind and no longer wanted Emma to represent her in the tournament. "Good thing there is no need then." she grins. "Give me two or three days and I'll be kicking the ass of every one of your guards. A week? I could go back to exterminating bandits – don't worry, I won't be at a hundred percent but I'll be ready for your tournament."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note: **Shorter than usual but I think the next scene makes for a better start to the next chapter than an end.

* * *

"Emma!"

"Ow." Emma groans as a small body collides with her as she steps through the door to the Swan home and she looks up in time to see her aunt walking over to her with a smile.

"Charlie, what did I tell you about rough-housing? Your sister is injured for goodness sake." Janet swats at the boy and sends him running before she pulls Emma into an embrace. "It's about time you came to visit your family."

Emma grins sheepishly as she's released, kissing her on the cheek before shrugging her shoulders by way of apology as she has no readily available excuse not to have visited them before now and, feeling contrite thanks to the look she receives in return, Emma drags her feet as she follows through to the kitchen where the scent of meat and spices is slowly taking over the house.

"God that smells good."

Janet rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Of course the first thing she says is about the food."

Emma laughs. "What? I can't help that your food is delicious."

With a smile, Janet pats her cheek fondly and wanders over to the stove as she says, "Graham is lurking around somewhere, if you wanted to see him. His breathing has improved and he doesn't wince quite as often as he first did when he tried to sit down."

Leaning against the doorway, Emma shakes her head and stares at the floor. Her stomach still churns with the guilt of what happened to him and it causes her words to come out in a stuttered mess. "I- he.. no, just.. no." she sighs when she looks up to see that Janet is turned to her with a disapproving frown.

Emma shrugs again, not knowing whether her reason for evading him at every opportunity is justified or merely a way for her to prolong the inevitable. "He doesn't need me flaunting my recovery to remind him whose fault it is that he can barely walk without wanting to curl over and die with every step."

"That's a little dramatic." Janet drawls, pointing the wooden spoon she holds in Emma's direction. "He doesn't blame you for what happened, sooner or later you're going to have stop avoiding your problems and start dealing with them."

"If he doesn't blame me then he's an idiot." she mutters and pushes away from the door frame.

"I heard that!" Janet admonishes in a tone she reserves for rebellious children, hollering from the kitchen even as Emma pushes through the door that opens out into the back of the house. "Don't you dare say such a thing to him, I don't care how old you are, I will put you over my knee."

"Yes _Mother!_" she shouts as the door swings shut behind her, chuckling as her aunt calls back. "Don't you sass me!"

It takes Emma a while to recall where the stream is that Jamie likes to brood by and as she suspected, Graham is there; heaving stones into the water and looking just as morose as the teen that sat next to him. "Well I'm glad I came to find you both, I'd hate to have missed such joyous merriment."

Two of a kind, she thinks when her endeavor to lighten their mood is met with synchronised grunts of neutrality and nothing more. Taking a seat beside them, she glances to Graham with an eyebrow raised. "Who died?"

There's a flicker of a smile before his gravelly voice responds, "No one, although we heard you might in the coming tournament."

"Yeah!" Jamie pipes up. "How come you never told ma? She freaked when she found out you'd be fighting in it."

"Damnit, did Clive tell her?." Emma asks, a slight pout to her voice when she mumbles, "He said he wouldn't."

The last thing she needed was that woman skulking about the arena tomorrow, fussing over everyone, her especially. It had been bad enough when she found out Emma was injured and insisted on appearing at the palace with Clive every day, not to mention horrifying when she went all protective mama bear mode when the Queen came to check on her and she just assumed Emma was in trouble.

_"Whatever she did, she's clearly paid for it already – tenfold." _Was the first thing that came out of her aunt's mouth at the sight of her and if Regina hadn't found the entire thing so amusing, Emma would have bet everything she owns that she'd be visiting her aunt in the dungeon for the foreseeable future.

"Actually.." Graham grins as he interjects her thoughts. "Jack visited earlier this morning and traded the information for some of Janet's food."

"Ugh." Emma drops her head into her hands with a groan. "I need to stop telling her things."

* * *

Stepping onto the podium at the front of the royal box, Clive clears his throat and waits for the hush to fall over the crowd before he speaks, "Before the Tournament begins, the Queen has asked that the former Champion, Lord Khalid enter the arena."

"Former Champion?!" Khalid shouts from his place among the crowd, glancing to the throne with confusion and snarling when he realises the Queen is smirking down at him.

As he jumps into the pit and marches toward the center, Clive continues. "I also ask that the Queen's Chosen please join him."

Surprised, Emma also looks to the throne and steps forward as her silent question is answered with the incline of the brunette's head. She chuckles at the collective gasp that sounds through the crowd, smoothly dropping down into the pit and sauntering over to the former Champion with a smug expression.

"A woman?" he questions, his bellow of laughter causing the arena to erupt with much of the same as Emma merely stares at him with her eyebrow raised.

Clearing his throat, Clive raises his voice to be heard over the crowd. "The Queen would also like me to inform everyone that this is not part of the tournament."

At that, a wide grin spreads across Emma's lips and before Khalid even realises what the announcement means, Emma throws her fist and silence descends on the arena almost immediately as she connects with his jaw and sends him sprawling to the ground.

Pushing himself to his knees, Khalid rubs the side of his face and glares up at her. He spits tooth and blood into the dirt as he stands, growling out a, "Bitch" before he surges forward with a fist of his own.

In the same movement, Emma ducks and grabs his forearm, using his momentum to yank him forward as she sweeps his legs out from underneath him and sends him back to the ground, a chuckle escaping her throat as the crowd laughs at him landing on his face.

Hiding his own smile at the spectacle, Clive clears his throat once more and addresses them before the former Champion recovers and makes another attempt to injure his niece. "If the fighters could resist their violent urges for a moment, the Queen has asked that I explain the reason behind this impromptu match."

As the crowd quiets and both combatants seem willing to listen, he continues. "As well as receiving the title of Queen's Champion, the winner of the match will decide who enters the tournament to represent the Queen herself."

"And the point of that is?" King Midas asks from his seat beside the Queen who nods for Clive to answer.

"Should the Queen's Champion win the tournament, there will be no marriage and she will rule, alone, until Princess Snow becomes eligible to wed in two years time." he replies, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he awaits the reaction of the three Kings.

Rather than the Kings, however, it is Emma's voice that cuts through the low murmurs as she looks to the dais where the four monarchs sit. "My Queen, may I suggest a slight alteration?"

Regina frowns at the blonde but gestures for her to continue.

"Given that this tournament is already breaking a few traditions, it is perhaps asking too much of the Kings to expect them to concede this." Regina looks to those seated with her, noticing that both George and Midas nod their agreement while King Stefan appears to be studying the blonde.

"What is your suggestion?" she asks.

Emma gives a small smile to acknowledge the underlying concern within the Queen's tone. "Rather than the Champions fighting among themselves, perhaps the Kings would consider allowing them each to face only me."

"Absolutely not!" Having expected the outburst from the Queen, Emma stays quiet and waits as she wonders how much trouble she had just created for herself with this decision - not only from the brunette but her aunt as well.

King Stefan chuckles softly and places his hand gently upon the Queen's to both calm and as a request to speak before he does so. "Young lady, what exactly would possess you to offer such an unfair advantage? Each man you face will be in perfect condition while you would be weakened with each match."

"Your Majesty, I am offended on Khalid's behalf that you think I could possibly beat him." Emma says with mock outrage, having to resist laughing as a growl sounds from beside her.

"Apologies, Lord Khalid –" Stefan nods his head to the man before adding, "- but the question remains, Miss Swan."

"Yes, Miss Swan." One can almost hear the grinding of each word as Regina utters them from between clenched teeth. "While I would prefer this to be over with, I am also curious as to the reason behind this generosity."

"No offense to the Kings and their men, Majesty - but I fear it is the only way any of them have even the slightest chance of besting me." As she says this, her expression is one of exaggerated boredom and her words are met with the predictable responses from the men that she expects will cause the most trouble for the Queen.

The face of King George turns an alarming shade of red before his shout of, "I accept!" resounds through the arena.

King Midas scowls, though his acceptance comes as nothing more than a nod.

The third, is in the form a rather boisterous laugh and as unexpected as that is, Emma can't help but smile as King Stefan's comment of, "I like her." is loud enough to be heard by everyone before he also accepts.

Emma turns her attention to the brunette with her eyebrow raised. "As this is your tournament and I am your chosen, the decision is yours, my Queen."

"Very well." Regina acquiesces with a sigh and while the sounds of approval fill the arena, Regina beckons for Clive to approach and as he does, he bends down to hear her over the noise. "Send someone to fetch Edmund and have him nearby to tend to your idiot of a niece after each match."

Taking a step back, Clive gives a low bow before turning and moving to the side of the box that separates the monarchs from the peasants. Leaning over the side, he calls down to the man below. "Samuel, find the royal physician and be quick about it."

"Yes sir." the guard scurries off to carry out the order.

Clive returns to his spot in time to witness Emma and Khalid circling each other, much to the amusement of the royals seated and he shakes his head. "I see our combatants have grown restless." he begins. "As per usual when a new Champion is chosen, it is in hand-to-hand combat. Rolland if you could do the honours and search them for weapons."

Without hesitation, Emma removes the belt from around her waist and holds it out to the guard, her collection of throwing knives on display for all to see and drawing another gasp from the crowd. She chuckles as she looks to Khalid and sees his wide-eyed stare, grinning as she lifts each leg of her trousers and frees the small blades hidden inside both of her boots.

Her amusement only increases as she continues to reveal each weapon stashed on her body; the pouch of darts strapped to her thigh, the sheaths hidden from view beneath the sleeves of her billowy shirt - which contain even more of her knives. By the end, there are varied expressions of disbelief and wariness plastered across each face; with the exception of the two monarchs openly grinning at the show she had just put on for them.

Familiar with his niece's fetish for all things sharp, Clive laughs softly as he motions for the encumbered guard to leave the arena and when Emma and Khalid are all that remain, he glances back to the Queen who gives a brief nod before she returns her gaze to the woman below and he announces the start of the match with a resounding, "Begin!"

As soon as the word leaves Clive's lips, Khalid launches himself forward to try and grapple with the blonde but remembers his earlier mistake too late as Emma side-steps and uses his momentum against him once more, clasping the back of his neck and spinning him around to deliver a solid knee to the stomach before she releases him with a shove to the ground.

"Speed is not your strong point, my friend." Emma supplies the information casually, with no intention of taunting the man but as he rises from the ground with a snarl on his lips, she smirks and lifts her shoulders in a shrug.

If he isn't open to advice, then who is she to argue.

Changing his tactic, Khalid raises his fists in front of him and begins to circle her while she follows his progress with her eyes, her brow rising and a small smirk playing across her lips before she darts forward, slapping his hands away in a show of aiming a jab at his face but when he tries to block, she changes course in the last second and lands a blow to his ribs.

Without the rage adding force to her attacks, the hit does little to phase him and with the next punch she throws, he catches her fist in his hand, almost completely engulfing it as he squeezes. Taking advantage of her surprise to pull her close, he spins her around and yanks her arm up behind her back, eliciting a sharp cry of pain before he wraps an arm around her throat and puts pressure on her windpipe.

"Yield, before I snap it." he growls.

Widening her stance, Emma's eyes travel over the crowd that waits patiently for her to do something and as she raises her leg, she grins up at them and kicks back with as much force as possible, a breathless chuckle leaving her mouth a moment later as he releases the hold with his own cry of pain.

As the shouts of her name fill the air, Khalid stumbles backwards in an attempt to put distance between them but when he tries to stand on his now useless knee, it gives out beneath him and a loud string of curses follow his fall to the ground.

Rolling her shoulder, Emma turns as it clicks into place and she offers him a smile. "Don't waste time with threats, it's much more efficient to simply go through with them without warning the person you're competing with."

Before she can ask what is expected of her, Clive's voice interrupts to deliver the question himself. "Lord Khalid, do you yield?"

Khalid glares up at the blonde and after a moment, he sighs and says the words aloud. "I yield." He averts his gaze to stare up at the sky and adds with a mutter, "Get it over with."

Moving to the man with her weapons, Emma mumbles about forgetting her sword before she reaches down and unsheathes the one that hangs at the waist of the guard. Walking over to the royal box, she kneels and grips the blade as she offers the hilt to the Queen.

Catching sight of the confusion in brown orbs, Clive clears his throat and speaks to the crowd as he recites the King's Law. "There can be only one; should he be tested and found unworthy, his life is forfeit beneath the hand of the King and his Champion."

When he finishes, the Queen stands and gazes upon her Champion, their eyes locking on to one another as she descends her throne and the steps down into the pit. As she comes to stand before her, Regina tentatively reaches for the sword and curls her fingers around the grip while Emma rises.

"If I didn't come down here and take it, what would have happened?" she asks in a low whisper.

Leading her to where Khalid is laid out on the ground, Emma sighs as the question confirms her suspicion that Regina had no idea what replacing her Champion meant. "You would have unknowingly branded me a failure and I would have plunged the blade into my own chest."

The disapproving squeak of protest that sounds in the back of Regina's throat is enough to relieve Emma of her irritation and she purses her lips to prevent the bubble of laughter that threatens to spill as she steps over Khalid and turns to face the Queen who, she only now just notices, is holding the sword as though it were a live snake threatening to strike.

Huffing her amusement through her nose, Emma takes a deep breath and shakes her head before she glances to the man at her feet. "Want me to deliver a message for you to your family or anything?"

"No." His response is immediate and Khalid stares up at the Queen, a cruel smirk on his lips.

Following his line of sight, Emma rolls her eyes upon seeing Regina looking down at the person she is about to kill. Knowing that it is something the Queen has never had to do, rather than snap her fingers to get her attention like Emma wants to, she calls her name softly, repeating herself until the brunette tears her gaze from him and meets her eyes.

"Don't look at him, keep your eyes on me."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Regina clenches her jaw and gives a barely perceptible nod.

"Good, now rest the point of the blade against his chest, above his heart." Regina follows the instruction and Emma smiles, placing her hand on the pommel as she says, "If you need to process this when we're done, you're expected to follow me out of the arena to my tent where a healer awaits us."

"Another display of solidarity?" Regina asks, more to distract herself than out of any real need to have an answer.

Emma shrugs. "Something like that."

Before Regina can respond, Emma pushes down on the sword with enough speed and force that it easily pierces through flesh and bone, straight down into the heart whose owner gives no more than a grunt and silence pervades for one brief, shining moment before the crowd erupts, snapping Regina from her shock as she lets go of the sword and stalks off in the direction of Emma's tent.


End file.
